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EECOLLECTIONS 


▲HI) 


PRIVATE    MEMOIRS 


0» 


W  A  SHINGTON, 


BT  HIS  ADOPTED  SON, 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PARKE  (jIUSTIS,  ' 

WITH 

A  MEMOIR  OF  THE  AUTHOR, 

BT  HIS  daughter; 

AlfD 

ILLUSTRATTVE  AND  EXPLANATORY  NOTES. 

BY 

BENSON  J.  LOSSING. 


"Fmr  nr  Was,  Fnar  xh  Pkaos,  hsd  Fust  nr  ths  Hxasts  or  sn  Couhtbtxbk.*' 

G<n.  Henry  Lti»  Oration, 


WITH     ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NEW   YORK: 
PUBLISHED  BY  DERBY   &  JACKSON. 


1860. 


t'^: 


r- 

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ytU^ 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  CJongresf,  in  the  jear  1859, 

Bt  Mrs.   Mjlrt   Custib  Lbb« 

in  the  Clerk's  0£Bice  of  the  District  Conrt  of  the  United  States,  for  the  Eastern 

District  of  Yii^ginia. 


8ATA0B   a  H«CRBA,  8TBRBOTTPBK8, 
IS  ChMibwt  Street,  H.  T. 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 


The  men  and  women  who  were  cotemporary  with  Washington 
have  nearly  all  passed  away,  and  in  a  few  years  every  tongue 
that  might  now  speak  of  personal  recollections  of  the  Father  of 
his  Country  will  be  silent,  and  that  for  ever. 

As  we  recede  from  the  age  of  Washington,  and  history  takes 
the  place  of  verbal  traditions  in  giving  a  narrative  of  the  events 
of  those  days,  we  become  more  and  more  anxious  to  gamer,  in 
memory  and  in  books,  the  precious  seeds  of  information  concern- 
ing the  men  whose  names  stand  prominently  on  the  records  of 
those  events.  Especially  do  we  desire  to  know  all  about  Wash- 
ington, the  great  central  figure  of  the  group  of  patriots  whom  we 
have  been  taught  to  revere  as  the  founders  of  the  republic. 

We  feel  confident,  therefore,  that  a  work  like  this,  containing 
the  minute  details  of  much  of  Washington's  private  life,  as  well 
as  his  public  career  (which  general  history  does  not  reveal),  and 
related,  too,  by  a  member  of  Washington's  own  family  —  one 
who  lived  with  him  from  infancy  until  his  nineteenth  year  —  will 
be  peculiarly  acceptable  to  the  American  public. 

In  this  work,  new  phases  of  Washington's  character  are  dis- 
played. We  see  him  as  a  private  citizen  —  as  a  plain  farmer  — 
as  the  head  of  a  family. 

The  correspondence  between  Washington  and  his  adopted  son, 
while  the  latter  was  in  college,  first  at  Princeton  and  after- 
ward at  Annapolis  (never  before  published),  will  be  found 
deeply  interesting,  especially  to  our  young  men.  Washington's 
letters  display  the  fatherly  anxiety  and  solicitude  with  which  he 
saw  the  child  of  his  adoption,  sometimes  giving  promises  of  great 
improvement  and  future  usefulness,  and  at  others  pursuing  a  dis- 
appointing course,  and  awakening  painful  doubts  concerning  the 

203485 


4  INTRODUOTOBT  REMARKS. 

character  of  his  manhood.  These  called  from  Washington 
words  of  great  wisdom  ;  and  the  advice  contained  in  his  letters 
to  young  Gustis  we  would  commend  to  the  careful  considera- 
tion of  every  young  man  starting  out  in  life. 

The  general  arrangement  of  the  whole  work,  and  the  elabo- 
rate explanatory  and  illustrative  notes  to  the  Recollections ,  by 
the  editor,  whose  familiarity  with  the  subject  is  well  known,  so 
connect  and  generalize  the  desultory  sketches  of  the  author  as 
to  make  the  work  an  interesting  Life  op  Washington.  In  these 
notes  will  be  found  much  rare  matter  never  before  presented  in 
a  collected  form. 

The  correspondence  between  Washington  and  the  father  of 
the  author  of  these  Recollections y  during  the  Eevolution  (printed 
in  the  Appendix,  and  now  for  the  first  time  made  public),  will 
be  found  especially  interesting.  Their  letters  treat  chiefly  of 
private  affairs,  and  give  us  a  vivid  picture  of  Washington's 
sagacious  views  in  relation  to  the  management  of  property. 
They  also  show  the  wonderful  capacity  and  adaptation  of  his 
mind  in  giving  close  and  lucid  attention  to  private  concerns, 
while  engaged  in  the  most  arduous  and  momentous  public 
duties.  Two  of  Mr.  Custis's  orations ;  the  famous  oration  of 
General  Henry  Lee  on  the  death  of  Washington ;  an  interest- 
ing account  of  the  presentation  of  a  ring  to  Lafayette  by  Custis 
at  the  tomb  of  Washington ;  a  specimen  of  Washington's  care 
and  exactness  in  the  management  of  his  agricultural  affairs ; 
and  a  notice  of  all  the  original  portraits  of  Washington,  are 
also  printed  in  the  Appendix. 

The  memoir  of  Mr.  Custis,  by  his  daughter,  which  properly 
forms  a  part  of  the  work,  will  be  found  highly  interesting,  the 
subject  being  enriched  by  the  introduction  of  very  curious  mat- 
ter pertaining  to  the  earlier  history  of  the  family. 

With  these  few  observations,  we  submit  the  work  to  the  pub- 
lic, feeling  a  pride  in  offering  one  so  intrinsically  valuable  to 
every  student  of  our  history  and  lover  of  his  country. 

The  Pubushebs. 

New  Yoek,  August,  1859. 


CONTENTS. 


HsxoiB  or  Gborov  Wabhikotok  Parks  Cubtis pjlob     9 

OmxOIKAX,    COKUBBPONDEKOB  BBTWBBN  WaBHIKOTON  AND  CuBTIB 73 

RECOLLECTIONS  OP  WASfflNGTON. 

Editor's  Prbvacb 119 

Avtbor's  F&bfaob 121 

CHAPTER  I. 
X    Thb  Mothbr  or  WASHiiiOTOir 195 

CHAPTER  n. 
Washiboton  at  Moukt  Ybrbon 151 

CHAPTER  III. 
Battls  or  Prxkobtov  axd  Dbath  of  General  Mbbcbr 179 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Battlb  or  GBRXAarTowH 193 

CHAPTER  V. 
Thb  BA.TTLB  or  Mohmouth Sll 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Tbb  Surrbrpbr  at  Yorktowh 229 

CHAPTER  VII. 

WABHIBOTDB'ff  LlFB-GCARD 256 

CHAPTER  Vm. 
Thb  Hubtibo-Sjubt 264 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Washibotob'b  Hba]>qiiartbrb 273 

CHAPTER  X. 
Mtstbbibs  or  thb  Rbtolutiok 289 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Thb  Ibdzab  Pbophbgt 300 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Davibl  Morgan 308 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Bobbbt  Mobbib 323 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Tbohas  Kblson 333 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Albxabdbb  Hajcilton 340 

CHAPTER  XVL 
HbbbtLbb 354 


H 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XVn. 

BiBTH-NIOHT  BaLL8>ND  THE  ThBATRB PAOB  864 

CHAPTER  XVin. 
-^   Life  jlt  Moukt  Vernon 370 

CHAPTER  XDC. 
Washington  as  a  Sportsman 8B4 

CHAPTER  XX. 
The  First  Year  of  the  Presidency 393 

CHAPTER  XXL 
Washington's  Home  and  Household 406 

CHAPTER  XXIL 
The  Retired  President 433 

CHAPTER  xxnr. 

Outline  Life-Pictures 461 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Last  Hours  of  Washington 472 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Personal  Appearance  of  Washington 480 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Martha  Washington 495 

CHAPTER  XXVIL 

Portraits  of  Washington 516 

APPENDIX. 
I.  Original  Correspondence  between  General  Washington  and 

John  Parke  Custis 533 

n.  Oration  at  the  Funeral  Solemnities  to  General  James  M. 

LiNGAN,  BY  Q.  W.  P.  Custis 571 

m.  Address  at  the  Celebration  of  the  Russian  Victories  oyer 

Napoleon,  by  Q.  W.  P.  Custis 585 

rV.  Presentation  of  a  Ring  to  General  Lafayette,  by  G.  W.  P. 

Custis,  at  the  Tomb  of  Washington 591 

V.  Directions  for  the  Management  of  his  Farms,  by  General 

Washington 595 

VI.  Oration  on  the  Death  of  Washington,  delitered  before  Con- 
gress, BY  General  Henry  Lee 615 

Vn.  Original  Portraits  of  Washington 624 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

George  Washington  Parke  Custis Frontispiece 

Colonel  George  Washington Opposite  page    21 

Mrs.  Eleanor  Parke  Lewis  (Nelly  Custis) "        "       45 

Mrs.  Martha  Washington  (Mrs.  Custis) "       "     495 

Facsimile  of  Washington's  Account  with  Miss  Custis.  .       "       "     496 
Facsimile  of  Washington's  Record  of  Survey "       "     445 


MEMOIR 


OP 


aEORGE  WASHINGTON  PARKE  CUSTIS, 


BT   HIS   DAUGHTES: 


THE   EPISTOLABT  CORBESPONDEN  CE 


WASHINGTON  AND  CUSTIS. 


MEMOIR 


OF 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PARKE  CUSTIS. 


It  is  with  much  diffidence  that  I  offer  to  the  public  the 
BeeoUeeiians  of  my  father^  in  their  present  unfinished 
state.  They  were  written  by  him  at  intervals  of  many 
months,  sometimes  of  a  year,  during  a  period  of  thirty 
years,  and  were  nearly  all  first  published  in  the  National 
MelHffencer^  printed  at  Washington  city,  in  the  District 
of  Columbia.  They  have  been  extensively  copied  by 
the  pr^ss  throughout  the  Union,  and  sometime^  qudted 
by  historians,  but  fi-om  the  perishable  character  df 
the  vehicle  by  which  they  were  conveyed  to  the  pub- 
lic, it  is  to  be  doubted  whether  a  perfect  copy  of  the 
series  is  preserved,  except  the  one  contained  in  this 
volume. 

For  many  years  my  father,  influenced  by  the  urgent 
solicitations  of  friends  in  all  parts  of  the  Union,  enter- 
tained a  design  to  arrange  and  revise  his  RecoUecUomy 
supply  omissions,  and  have  them  published  in  Ihe  more 


10  MEMOIR  OF 

durable  form  of  a  volume,  as  a  legacy  to  his  countiymen. 
But  this  design  was  never  carried  out;  and  now,  actu- 
ated by  filial  afiection,  and  a  feeling  that  these  recollec- 
tions of  the  Father  of  his  Country,  by  his  adopted  son, 
should  not  be  lost — that  leaves  so  precious  should  not 
be  scattered  to  the  winds — I  have  undertaken  to  per- 
form what  he  left  undone. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  a  brief  memoir  of  the  author  of 
the  jReeoUectionSy  and  some  notices  of  his  family,  connected 
as  they  have  been  with  stirring  scenes  in  the  histoiy 
of  the  past,  would  be  acceptable  to  the  public. 

The  following  letter,  also,  written  by  an  old  and 
esteemed  fiiend,  so  well  expresses  the  feelings  of  all 
who  knew  my  father,  and  desired  the  publication  of  his 
RecoUeduma  in  permanent  form,  that  I  have  taken  the 
liberty  of  inserting  it  here : — 

^  Washington,  October  6, 1858. 

^  My  D£AR  Madam  :  Many  causes,  unnecessary  to  men- 
tion, have  prevented  the  fulfilment  of  my  cherished  pur- 
pose to  express  the  pleasure  with  which  I  learned  yoiur 
intention  of  preparing  the  writings  of  your  venerable 
father  for  the  press,  to  be  preceded  by  a  notice  of  his  life 
fix>m  the  best  pen,  that  of  his  only  child.  An  intimate 
and  imclouded  friendship  of  more  than  thirty  years  with 
your  beloved  and  lamented  parents,  gave  me  advantages 
for  discerning  and  appreciating  those  rare  and  bright 
virtues  which  have  made  Arlington  a  place  of  frequent 
resort  to  many  of  the  eminent  and  good  of  this  and 
other  countries. 

^Your  father  was  distinguished  by  talents  which 
would  have  made  him  eminent  in  any  profession  to 
which  he  might  have  devoted  himself;  but  his  ample 


OBOBGE  WASHmOTOK  PARKE   CUSTIS.  11 

fortune^  extensive  and  generous  hospitality,  and  the 
care  of  large  estates,  led  him  rather  to  agricultural  piuv 
suits,  general  literature,  and  the  indulgence  of  his  taste 
for  the  fine  arts,  than  to  a  profound  study  of  science  or 
philosophy. 

^  He  read  much,  his  memory  was  quick  and  retentive, 
dnd  his  knowledge  of  history  and  the  public  afiairs  of 
the  world  was  remarkably  full  and  accurate.  To  the 
history  of  his  own  country  he  had  devoted  much  time 
and  special  attention,  and  was  more  familiar  with  the 
character  of  the  men  and  events  of  the  Revolution,  than 
any  one  I  have  known. 

^Probably  no  one  of  his  cotemporaries  so  well  under- 
stood, or  so  profoimdly  admired  the  retired  and  less 
obvious  excellences,  and  the  great  public  virtues  and 
acts  of  Washington.  The  glory  of  that  great  man  ever 
encompassed  him,  and  inspired  him  with  enthusiasm  and 
eloquence.  In  his  childhood  he  learned  from  Washing- 
ton lessons  of  patriotism  which  were  never  forgotten. 
Hence,  in  important  political  questions  he  was  deeply 
interested,  and  amid  all  the  sectional  controversies  of  his 
day  he  stood  firm  to  the  Union. 

"  He  was  warm  and  constant  in  friendship,  had  a  high 
sense  of  what  is  due  (in  conversation)  to  absent  acquaint- 
ances, and  was  ever  reluctant  to  attend  to  remarks  dis- 
paraguag  or  injmious  to  others.  He  sympathized  quickly 
with  distress,  and  the  poor  found  in  him  a  ready  and 
liberal  benefactor. 

"  Nothing  could  exceed  the  easy  grace  and  politeness 
of  his  mannersfhis  uniform  and  benevolent  cheerfulness, 
and  the  delightful  eloquence  of  his  conversation.  There 
was  the  blending  of  good  humor,  cordiality,  interest  in 


12  MEMOIR  OF 

those  whom  he  addreascd,  with  the  riches  of  a  brilliant 
poetic  imagination^  throwing  light  and  joy  upon  all 
aroimd.  Those  who  visited  Arlington  immediately  found 
themselves  at  home.  Every  want  was  anticipated  by 
kind  attentions,  and  nothing  was  omitted  which  could 
contribute  to  their  happiness ;  they  seemed  to  realize  the 
return  of  the  days  when  Washington  himself  welcomed 
his  guests  at  Mount  Yemen  and  presided  at  the  feast 

"  The  writings  you,  Madam,  are  about  to  publish,  will 
be  welcomed  by  the  people  of  the  United  States  as 
historical  papers  of  great  value ;  and  those  containing 
recollections  of  Washington,  as  precious  memorials  of 
the  liffe  and  habits  of  the  Father  of  his  Country  in  retire- 
ment, wann  with  the  love  and  gratitude  of  his  devoted 
son,  and  glowing  with  his  genius.  The  discourses  of 
your  father  on  the  death  of  General  Lingan,  and  that 
on  the  overthrow  of  Napoleon,  were  greatly  admired 
at  the  time  they  were  spoken,  and  should  be  preserved 
as  specimens  of  striking  and  commanding  eloquence .♦ 
Your  father  was  an  orator,  around  whom  the  public 
ever  thronged  with  delight,  and  who  that  ever  heard 
hiTn  can  forget  the  vivacity,  grace,  and  interest  of  his 
conversation. 

^  The  filial  duty  in  which  you  so  promptly  engaged, 
and  which  you  have  so  well  performed,  is  a  high  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  Washington  (with  which  that  of  your 
honored  father  is  indissolubly  united),  and  a  service  to 
that  coimtry  which  stands  the  only  adequate  monument 
of  its  great  chief  But  I  will  not  presmne  to  extend 
tiiese  observations  farther,  since  I  can  add  nothing  to 
your  information,  and  should  fill  a  volmne  to  convey  my 

*  These  may  be  found  in  the  Appendix. 


GEORGE  WASHZNQTON  PARKE   CUSTIS.  13 

own  pleasing  recollections,  or  to  express  adequately  my 
attachment  and  obligations  to  your  family. 

^  I  have  the  honor  to  remain,  my  dear  Madam, 
^  Most  respectfully  your  friend, 

«  R  R.  GURLEY. 
"  Mrs.  Mart  Custis  Lee,  Arlington:' 

The  memoir  of  one  so  long  known  among  us  as  the 
adopted  child  of  Mount  Vernon,  whose  mind  was  richly 
stored  with  memories  of  the  past,  whose  heart  and  home 
was  open  to  ail  who  loved  to  hear  of  our  immortal 
Washin^n,  should  be  deeply  interesting  to  the  world. 

The  records  of  his  early  youth  are  somewhat  imper- 
fect, as  those  who  could  have  best  furnished  the  details 
have  passed  away ;  nor  do  we  find  any  letters  from  his 
foster-father  imtil  the  commencement  of  his  collegiate 
life  at  Princeton. 

Of  his  paternal  ancestry  we  have  accounts  gleaned  from 
a  chest  of  old  papers,  very  curious  and  amiising  (though 
many  have  mouldered),  containing  letters,  commissions, 
deeds  and  patents  for  land  during  the  reigns  of  James  IL, 
William  and  Mary,  and  Queen  Anne ;  and  a  commission 
for  Major-General  John  Custis,  in  1687,  from  Johannes, 
Lord  Howard  of  Effingham,  his  majesty's  lieutenant  and 
governor-general  of  Virginia^  appointing  him  collector 
of  customs  on  the  Eastern  Shore.  Mr.  Custis  had  previ- 
ously been  made  major-general  to  command  the  forces 
in  that  quarter  during  Bacon's  rebellion.*    He  was  the 

*  The  episode  in  Virginia  historj,  known  as  Bacon's  rebellion,  occurred  in  1675 
and  1676.  The  immediate  canse  of  the  ontbieak  was  the  dangers  threatened  by 
Indians  from  the  north,  who  had  made  incursions  into  the  settlements  on  the  James 
rirer.  It  was,  however,  an  ontbnrst  of  republican  feeling,  which  had  long  been 
growing  in  the  colonj,  and  which  had  become  much  exasperated  by  the  acts  of  Got- 
cmor  Berkeley  and  the  aristocracy.  Finally,  the  republicans,  under  pretence  of 
opposing  the  Indians,  seized  their  arms,  and  led  on  by  Kathaniel  Bacon,  an  ener- 


14  MIDIOIB  OF 

owner  of  a  large  estate,  including  several  islands.  Among 
these  was  Smith's  island,  which  is  still  in  possession  of  the 
family.  General  Custis  married  three  wives.  In  favor  of 
each  ■  he  made  a  separate  will,  providing  amply  for  the 
comfort  of  his  widow,  and  even  binding  his  successor  in 
her  affections  (should  she  have  one)  by  a  heavy  forfeit, 
to  maintain  the  dwelling  in  the  same  state  in  which  he 
left  it  He  also  devised  to  her,  her  own  wearing  apparel, 
and  any  stu£&  ordered  for  her  that  might  be  en  route 
from  England.  To  the  last  one.  Madam  Tabitha,  who 
survived  him,  and  married  Colonel  Hill,  he  bequeathed  a 
handsome  riding  horse  and  accoutrements.  His  five  chil- 
dren, John,  Hancock,  Henry,  Sorrowful  Margaret,  and 
Elizabeth,  were  all  apportioned ;  and  legacies  in  land  and 
money  were  left  to  various  friends  and  to  his  sisters. 
The  eldest  son,  John,  was  especially  provided  with  landed 
property,  out  of  which  a  himdred  pounds  were  to  be  ex- 
pended yearly  for  the  maintainance  and  education  in 
England  of  his  son,  John,  the  immediate  ancestor  of  the 
author  of  the  RecoUediom,  whose  portrait  is  preserved 
at  Arlington  house.  In  it,  his  hand  grasps  a  book,  near 
which  a  tvUp  is  placed.    The  book  contained  an  essay 

getic  yoang  patriot,  appeared  in  formidable  array.  The  movement  was  without  the 
governor's  permission,  and  he  sent  troops  to  arrest  the  rebel,  as  he  termed  Bacon. 
This  led  to  energetic  action.  Kepablicanism  had  become  a  power  in  Vii^nia,  and, 
at  its  command,  the  governor  was  compelled,  on  the  4th  of  Jalj,  1676  (a  hundred 
years  before  the  great  Declaration  of  Independence),  to  sign  a  commission,  acknowl- 
edging Bacon  a  member  of  the  house  of  bui^sses,  to  which  the  people  had  elected 
him ;  and  also  to  give  him  the  commission  of  a  general  of  a  thousand  men.  Finally, 
the  governor  summoned  all  the  royalists  to  his  standard,  declared  Bacon  a  rebel,  and 
received  succor  from  England.  Bacon  and  his  troops,  hearing  of  the  approach  of  an 
overR'hclming  force,  laid  old  Jamestown  in  ashes,  and  fled  beyond  the  York  river, 
where  he  died  of  maligpiant  fever.  His  followers  were  dispersed,  and  the  civil  war 
ended.  Had  Bacon  been  successful,  history  would  have  called  him  a  patriot  instead 
ofare&e/. 


a£OBQB  WAfimNGTON  PABKE  CUSTIS.  15 

upon  that  flower,  written  by  himself  Many  works  in 
the  library,  classical  and  scientific,  with  his  name  pre- 
fixed in  German  text^  embellished  with  many  flourishes 
(fi>r  he  seems  to  have  prided  himself  upon  his  chirog- 
raphy),  shows  that  he  was  a  man  of  letters,  though  of 
an  eccentric  genius. 

This  John  married  at  "Queene's  creeke,"  on  York 
river,  Frances,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Colonel  Daniel 
Parke.  She  and  her  sister,  Lucy  (afterward  the  wife  of 
Colonel  William  Byrd,  of  Westover,*)  resided  there  with 
their  mother  (whose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Ludwell) 
in  great  seclusion,  by  the  express  desire  of  their  father, 
then  seeking  his  fortunes  abroadf    The  mother,  in  many 

*  Colonel  William  Byrd  was  a  distingaished  member  of  the  king's  counsel  in 
Virginia,  toward  the  close  of  the  seyenteenth  century.  When,  in  1699,  about  three 
hundred  of  the  Huguenots,  or  French  Protestants,  arrived  in  Virginia,  after  fleeing 
firom  persecution  in  their  native  land,  he  received  them  with  fatherly  affection,  and 
gave  them  the  most  liberal  assistance.  He  was  generous  to  the  poor  around  him. 
He  was  well  educated,  and  his  library  was  the  largest  on  the  western  continent.  In 
1723,  he  was  one  of  the  commissioners  for  establishing  the  boundary  line  between 
Virginia  and  North  Carolina.    Ho  died  at  an  advanced  age,  in  1743. 

t  The  following  letter  from  Colonel  Parke  to  his  daughter,  Frances,  who  married 

Colonel  Cnstis,  is  preserved  at  Arlington  House.    The  orthography  of  the  original 

is  retained  :*^ 

"  St.  Javbs'  October  y*  20^ 

"  Mt  Dbar  Faknt—  1697. 

"  I  Rec'«*  y  first  letter,  and  be  shure  you  bo  as  good  as  y  word  and  mind  y  writ- 
ing and  everything  else  yon  have  learnt;  and  doe  not  learn  to  Romp,  but  behave 
yselie  soberly  and  like  A  Qentlewoman.  Mind  Heading;  and  carry  y^self  so  yt 
Everyboddy  may  Bespect  you.  Be  Calm  and  Obligeing  to  all  the  servants,  and 
when  yon  speak  doe  it  mildly  Even  to  the  poorest  slave ;  if  any  of  the  Servants 
commit  small  faults  y'  are  of  no  consequence,  do  you  hide  them.  If  you  understand 
of  any  great  faults  they  commit,  acquaint  y  mother,  but  doe  not  aggravate  the  fault. 
I  am  well,  and  have  sent  you  everything  yon  desired,  and,  please  Qod  I  doe  well,  I 
shall  see  you  ere  long.    Love  y  sister  and  y  friends ;  be  dutiful  to  y  mother. 

This'  with  my  blessing  is  from  y  lo :  father 

"Dakl.  Parks. 

"  Give  my  Duty  to  ▼'  Grandfather,  and  my  love  to  y  Mother  and  Sister  and 

lerviss  to  all  friends.    My  Cosen  Brown  gives  yon  her  serviss,  and  y  AunU  and 

Cousins  their  love." 


16  MEMOIR  OF 

long  and  urgent  letters,  implored  his  return,  pleading 
the  state  of  her  health  as  rendering  her  unequal  to 
guard  her  ^xeaaures  from  the  admiring  eyes  which  pm?- 
sued  them  whenever  they  were  seen.  Colonel  Custis, 
with  his  foreign  education  and  great  wealth,  was  no 
despicable  suitor.  Colonel  Parke  gave  his  approval,* 
and  the  haughty  beauty  yielded.  He  had  been  fore- 
warned that  he  could  hope  for  no  complaisance  from  his 
bride,  whose  temper  was  little  calculated  to  allow  happi- 
ness in  her  presence ;  but  with  the  true  spirit  of  a  lover 
and  the  gallantry  of  the  age,  he  professed  to  feel  that  to 
possess  her  would  be  heaven  enough  for  him.f    Their 

*  The  fiither  of  youog  Colonel  Cnstis  reoeired  the  following  letter  from  Colonel 

Parke  on  the  snbject  :^- 

"  London,  August  25, 1705. 

"  Sib  :  I  received  yours  relating  to  yonr  son's  desire  of  marrying  my  daughter, 
and  yoor  consent  if  I  thought  well  of  it.  Yon  may  easily  inform  yourself  that  my 
daughter,  Frances,  will  be  heiress  to  all  the  land  my  father  left,  which  is  not  a  little, 
nor  the  worst.  My  personal  estate  is  not  rory  small  in  that  country,  and  I  hare  bat 
two  daughters,  and  there  is  no  likelihood  of  my  having  any  more,  as  matters  are,  I 
being  obliged  to  be  on  one  side  of  the  ocean,  and  my  wifio  on  the  other.  I  do  not 
know  your  young  gentleman,  nor  hare  you  or  he  thought  fit  to  send  mo  an  account 
of  his  real  and  personal  effects ;  however,  if  my  daughter  likes  him,  I  will  give  her 
upon  her  marriage  with  him,  half  as  much  as  he  can  make  appear  ho  is  worth. 

**  I  have  no  one  else  to  give  my  estate  to  but  my  daughters.    This  is  what  I  think 

convenient  to  write  at  present.    My  service  to  you  and  all  friends  in  Viiginia. 

"  From  your  humble  servant, 
"To  Colonel  Cubtis."  "Daniel  Pabkb. 

t  The  following  letter  of  .young  CusUs  to  his  intended  bride  a  few  months  before 
their  marriage,  in  which,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  time,  he  calls  her  his 
"  Fidelia,"  is  a  fair  specimen  of  passionate  love-letters  in  the  old  colonial  days.  Its 
tone  is  quite  different  from  that  which  characterizes  the  inscription  npon  his  tomb, 
in  which  he  so  pointedly,  though  indirectly  affirms,  that  his  life,  while  he  lived 
with  his  "  Fidelia,"  was  so  unhappy  that  he  considered  it  a  blank  in  his  existence  :— 

"  Willi AHS^URGH,  February  4,  1705. 

"  May  angels  guard  my  dearest  Fidelia  and  deliver  her  safe  to  my  arms  at  our 
next  meeting ;  and  sure  they  wont  refuse  their  protection  to  a  creature  so  pure  and 
charming,  that  it  would  be  easy  for  them  to  mistake  her  for  one  of  themselves. 
If  you  could  but  believe  how  entirely  you  possess  the  empire  of  my  heart,  yon  would 
easily  credit  me,  when  I  toll  you,  that  I  can  neither  think  nor  so  much  as  dream  of 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PABKE  CUSTIS.  17 

connubial  enjoyments  were  of  short  duration^  and  in 
mercy  to  both,  perhaps,  after  the  birth  of  two  children 
(a  son  and  daughter),  the  small-pox  ended  her  life  at 
Arlington,  on  the  Eastern  Shore.  The  husband  lived 
many  years  afterward,  and  directed  in  his  will  that  a 
tomb-stone  of  white  marble  (now  in  existence)  should 
be  placed  over  his  grave,  inscribed  with  the  following 
epitaph,  to  perpetuate  his  infelicity : — 

''UNDER  THIS  MARBLE  TOMB   LIES   THE   BODY 

OP  THE  Hon.  JOHN  CUSTIS,  Esq., 

OF   THE   CITY   OF  WILLIAMSBURG, 

AND   PARISH   OF  BRUTON. 

FORMERLY   OF  HUNGAR'S  PARISH,   ON  THE 

EASTERN   SHORE 

OF  VDftGINIA,   AND   COUNTY   OF  NORTHAMPTON, 

AGED    71    YEARS,   AND   YET   LIVED    BUT   SEVEN   YEARS, 

WmCH  WAS   THE   SPACE   OF  TIME   HE  KEPT 

A   bachelor's  home  at   ABLmOTON, 

ON   THE  EASTERN   SHORE   OF   VIRGINIA." 

On  the  opposite  side  is  the  following : — 

«THI8  INSCBIPTION  PUT  ON  HIS  TOMB  WAS  BY 
HIS  OWN  POSITIVE  OBDEBS.*"* 

any  other  subject  than  the  enehanting  Fidelia.  Yon  will  do  me  wrong  if  jon  soS' 
pect  that  there  ever  was  a  man  created  that  loved  with  more  tenderness  and  sinceritj 
than  I  do,  and  I  should  do  you  wrong  if  I  could  imagine  there  ever  was  a  nymph 
duu  desired  it  better  than  you.  Take  this  for  granted,  and  thevfaney  how  uneasy 
I  am  like  to  be  under  the  nnhappincss  of  your  absence.  Figure  to  yourself  what 
tumults  there  will  arise  in  my  blood,  what  a  fluttering  of  the  spirits,  what  a  disorder 
of  the  pulse,  what  passionate  wishes,  what  absence  of  thought,  and  what  crowding 
of  sighs,  and  then  imagine  how  unfit  I  shall  be  for  business ;  but  returning  to  th& 
dear  cause  of  my  uneasiness ;  O  the  torture  of  six  months'  expectation !  If  it  must 
be  so  long  and  necessity  will  till  then  interpose  betwixt  you  and  my  inclinations,  Z 
must  submit,  though  it  be  as  unwillingly  as  pride  submits  to  superior  virtue,  or 
envy  to  superior  success.  Pray  think  of  me,  and  believe  that  Veramonr  is  entirely 
and  eternally  yours.  Aiubu. 

"I  beg  you  write  as  soon  as  you  receive  this,  and  commit  your  letter  to  the  same^ 
tmsty  hand  that  brings  you  this." 

*  In  his  will  he  directed  his  son  to  place  this  inscription  upon  his  tomb^  and  pnv 
vidod  for  bis  disinheritance  in  the  event  of  his  omitting  to  do  so.  The  tttail>  is  ia 
the  form  of  a  sarcophagus,  about  five  feet  high  and  as  many  long. 

2 


18  MEMOIR   OF 

The  daughter  of  Colonel  Custis,  Panny  Paike,  waa 
bom  in  1710,  and  married  a  Captain  Dausie,  contrary  to 
the  wishes  of  both  father  and  brother,  in  which  she,  no 
doubts  followed  the  bent  of  her  *  own  phantasy,''  as  we 
find  many  letters  extant  from  her  suitors,  who  were  quite 
eloquent  in  setting  forth  their  pretensions,  especially,  in 
point  of  property.  The  old  gentleman  was  over  fastid- 
ious, and  would  not  listen  favorably  to  any  of  them ;  so 
it  ended,  as  often  it  happens,  in  her  marrying  the  least 
desirable  of  them  all.  In  his  replies.  Colonel  Custis 
always  remarked,  as  a  reason  for  his  objections :  "  I  have 
but  two  children,  and  they  must  inherit  all  I  have.'' 
Daniel,  the  son,  was  the  object  of  very  ambitious  views. 
His  fine  person,  large  fortune,  and  irreproachable  char- 
acter, made  him  quite  a  desirable  match  for  the  fair 
dames  of  Virginia^  and  many  negotiations  were  com- 
menced.* His  cousin,  Eveljni  Byrd  of  Westover,  was 
proposed,  but  though  Colojiel  Custis  desired  earnestly 

*  Mrs.  Parke  Pepper,  wife  of  a  London  merchant,  and  a  relatire,  seems  to  hare 
desired  a  matrimonial  alliance  between  the  families,  as  appears  by  the  following 
letter  written  by  Colonel  Custis  to  hor  in  1731 : — 

"  It  is  natural  to  belieye  that  I  must  always  value  a  family  to  whom  my  two  dear 
pledges  are  so  nearly  allied.  I  do  not  remember  that  I  expressed  anything  of 
matching  my  daughter  to  any  one.  I  am  sure  I  had  no  such  thought,  so  Mr.  S. 
must  misapprehend  me.  Your  son  may  deserve  a  better  match  than  my  daughter, 
but  the  distance  of  place  and  consanguinity  would  render  such  a  thing  impracticable. 
She  has  lately  been  engaged  to  a  man  much  against  my  inclination,  and  so  near, 
that  the  wedding-clothes  were  made,  but  it  is  all  over  now,  and  she  protests  she  wUl 
never  many  him  or  any  one  else.  My  son,  I  believe,  is  fixed  in  his  affections,  only 
we  think  both  two  young  as  yet.  It  is  an  unhappiness  that  my  children's  relations 
by  their  mother  are  placed  so  far  distant.  I  agree  with  you,  that  it  might  do  him 
good  to  make  you  a  visit  and  see  the  world,  but  I  could  not  spare  him  so  far  from 
me  while  I  live,  if  he  might  have  the  empress  of  the  universe  with  the  whole  creation 
for  a  fortune.  My  children  are  all  the  comfort  I  have  in  the  world,  for  whoso  sakes 
I  have  kept  myself  single,  and  am  determined  so  to  do  as  long  as  it  shall  please  God 
to  continue  them  to  me.  I  no  ways  doubt  of  my  young  kinswoman's  virtues  and 
fnalifications,  and  heartily  wish  her  a  husband  equal  to  her  meriu.    I  hope  Mr. 


GEORGE  WASHmOTON   PARKE   CUSTIS.  19 

the  connecfaon,  he  could  not  be  brought  to  terms ;  and 
at  length  Colonel  Byrd,  in  a  very  decided  letter,  in 
which  he '  tells  the  wooer  how  much  he  regrets  his 
father's  impracticability,  as  he  should  have  preferred  him 
to  all  others,  adds,  that  he  can  not  trust  to  such  a 
*^phantome  as  Colonel  Custis's  generosity/' 

We  rather  suspect  Daniel  was  not  very  earnest  in  the 
pursuit,  as  beautiful  Martha  Dandridge  soon  effaced  all 
otiier  impressions  from  his  hearty  and  was  not  so  readily 
relinquished. 

She  was  the  most  attractive  belle  at  the  court  of 
Williamsburg,*  and  won  the  affections  of  all  by  her 
grace  of  manner  and  heartfelt  cheerfulness.  Governor 
Goochf  presided  over  the  Old  Dominion,  and  Colonel 
Custis  then  held  the  high  office  of  king's  counsellor. 
Long  did  he  refose  to  sanction  his  son's  choice,  but  at 
length  won  over  by  the  report  he  heard  on  all  sides  of 
the  charms  and  virtues  of  Miss  Dandridge,  and  especially 
by  a  message  received  fipom  her,  he  jdelded,  and  we 
find  the  following  memorandmn  in  his  own  hand- 
writing:   *I  give  my  firee   consent  to   the   union  of 

Pepper  will  accept  of  my  best  respects.    The  same  salute  to  jon  and  joars.    I  am, 

hon'd  madam.  Tour  most  obedient  senrant, 

"JoHK  Custis. 

"P.  S.— If  Colonel  Parke  had  lired  to  see  my  son,  he  would  have  seen  his  own 
pictnn  to  greater  perfection  than  ever  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller  could  draw  it.  — J.  C." 

This  postscript  refers  to  the  portrait  of  Colonel  Parke,  now  at  Arlington  house, 
painted  by  that  eminent  artist,  and  to  which  allusion  is  made  in  another  part  of  this 


*  Williamjibuig  was  the  residence  of  the  royal  governors  of  Virginia  until  the  old 
war  for  independence,  in  1775.  GoTcmor  Nicholson  made  it  the  capital  in  1698.  In 
its  palmiest  days  its  population  did  not  exceed  twenty-five  hundred,  yet  it  was  the 
centre  of  Virginia's  sodal  refinement 

t  William  Gooch  was  governor  of  Virginia  from  1787  until  1749,  a  longer  admin 
tatntkm  than  thai  of  any  of  the  royal  goveraoTB  of  that  province. 


20  MEMOm  OF 

my  son,  Daniel,  with  Mies  Martha  Dandridge ."*  This 
was  a  concession  he  certainly  never  had  cause  to  regret, 
OS  he  soon  was  an  admiring  witness  of  their  domestic 
bliss  in  their  pleasant  home  on  the  banks  of  the  Pamunkey. 
They  had  four  children,  Daniel  Parke,  Fanny  Parke,  John 
Parke  (the  father  of  the  author  of  the  RecoUeelums\ 
and  Martha  Parke.  The  two  eldest  children  died  vety 
young ;  and  it  is  said  that  grief  for  their  loss  so  preyed 
upon  the  mind  of  the  devoted  father,  who  was  equally 
endowed  with  deep  affections,  as  with  manly  beauty, 
that  it  hastened  his  death,  which  occurred  at  the  age 
of  thirty  years.  He  left  a  young  widow  with  two  small 
children,  and  a  large  fortune.  His  ftimily  mourned  the 
loss  of  a  most  tender  parent,  and  his  numerous  servants 
an  indulgent  master.f 

*  On  that  occasion  a  Mend  of  the  snitor  wrote  to  him  as  follows : — 
''  Dbar  Sib  :  This  comes  at  last  to  bring  yon  the  news  that  I  believe  will  be  most 
agreeable  to  you  of  any  you  have  ever  heard  —  that  yon  may  not  be  long  in  suspense 
I  shall  tell  you  at  once  —  I  am  empowered  by  your  father  to  let  you  know  that  he 
heartily  and  willingly  consents  to  your  marriage  with  Miss  Dandridge  —  that  he  has 
BO  good  a  character  of  her,  that  he  had  rather  you  should  have  her  than  any  lady  in 
Viiginia — nay,  if  possible,  he  is  as  much  enamored  with  her  character  as  you  are  with 
her  person,  and  this  is  owing  chiefly  to  a  prudent  speech  of  her  own.    Hurry  down 
immediately  for  fear  he  should  change  the  strong  inclination  he  has  to  your  marrying 
directly.    I  stayed  with  him  all  night,  and  presented  Jack  with  my  little  Jack's  horse, 
bridle,  and  saddle,  in  your  name,  which  was  taken  as  a  singular  favor.    I  shall  say 
no  more,  as  I  expect  to  see  you  soon  to-morrow,  but  conclude  what  I  really  am, 
"  Tour  most  obliged  and  affectionate  humble  servant, 
"  To  Colonel  Davtixl  Parke  Custis,  New  Kent."  "J.  Powbr. 

The  ''Jack  "  referred  to  in  this  letter  was  a  small  negro  boy  to  whom  the  old  gen- 
tleman had  uken  a  most  violent  fancy ;  and  on  one  occasion  when  in  great  displeas- 
ure with  his  son,  Daniel,  on  account  of  his  refusing  to  concur  in  his  ambitious  views, 
he  made  a  will,  duly  recorded,  leaving  all  his  fortune  to  this  boy.  Through  the  soli- 
citations of  his  friends  and  his  own  paternal  feelings,  when  the  ill-humor  had  vanish- 
ed, he  destroyed  that  will,  but  manumitted  the  boy  with  his  mother,  Alice,  and  pro- 
vided them  with  a  most  comfortable  maintenance. 

t  Daniel  Pari^e  Custis  was  bom  at  **  Queene's  croeke,"  according  to  the  record  in 
-  family  Bible  at  Arlington  House,  on  the  15th  of  October,  1711.    There  is  also  a 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PARKE   CUSTIS.  21 

The  circumstances  attending  the  union  of  Mrs.  Custis 
witif^Washington  are  well  known,  and  a  narrative  of  them 
will  be  found  m  the  RecoUectiom.^  Indeed,  her  life  from 
that  time  became  a  matter  of  history.  The  death  of  her 
only  remaining  daughter,  Martha,  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
threw  a  cloud  of  the  deepest  sorrow  over  the  happiness 
of  the  family  at  Mount  Vernon.  If  we  may  judge  from 
a  miniature  taken  by  the  elder  Peale,  and  now  in  the 
possession  of  his  son,  Bembrandt,  and  two  other  portraits, 
she  was  endowed  with  rare  beauty,  and  yet  of  a  com- 
plexion  so  deeply  brunette,  that  she  was  always  called 
the  ^  dark  lady."  Her  delicate  health,  or,  perhaps  her  fond 
aflfection  for  the  only  father  she  had  ever  known,  so 
endeared  her  to  the  "general,"  that  he  knelt  at  her 
dying  bed,  and  with  a  passionate  burst  of  tears,  prayed 
aloud  that  her  life  might  be  spared,  imconscious  that 
even  then  her  spirit  had  departed. 

Martha  expired  at  Mount  Vernon  on  the  19th  of  June, 
1773.  Washington  had  been  absent  at  Williamsburg, 
on  public  duty,  for  sometime,  and  on  his  retimi  found 
her  in  the  last  stage  of  consumption.  He  had  arranged 
to  accompany  the  governor  of  Virginia  (Lord  Dmmiore) 
to  the  western  country,  but  the  death  of  Miss  Custis 
caused  him  to  remain  at  home  a  long  time  to  console 
his  wife,  and  recover  from  the.ejffects  of  the  blow.    In 

leoord  there,  that  "  Governor  Spottswood,  the  Honorable  William  Byrd,  Esq.,  and 
Mrs.  Hannah  Ladwell,  were  godfathers  and  godmother/'  There  were  some  por- 
traits of  the  Castis  family  at  Abington,  on  the  Potomac,  which  have  long  since 
cmmbled  into  dost.  One  who  bore  the  name  of  Custis  is  remembered  as  being 
represented  as  a  soldier,  in  a  complete  sait  of  armor;  and  two  now  at  Arlington, 
painted  by  Van  Dyke,  tradition  says  came  from  Holland,  where  the  family  origi- 
nated. The  portraits  of  Daniel  Parke  Castts,  hasband  of  Miss  Dandridge  (after- 
ward Mm.  Washington),  and  of  his  father,  are  both  at  Arlington  house. 
*  See  sketch  of  Martha  Washin^n. 


22  ME&iom  OF 

testimony  of  her  love  for  her  stepfather,  Miss  Custis  be- 
queathed to  him  all  of  her  large  fortune,  which  wa^  en- 
tirely in  money. 

Of  Colonel  Daniel  Parke,  already  mentioned  as  one  of 
the  ancestors  of  the  present  Custis  family,  and  of  his 
eventful  career,  an  interesting  volume  might  be  written. 
This  is  not  the  place  for  even  a  very  extended  notice 
of  him ;  yet  some  facts  and  correspondence,  having  a  re- 
lation to  the  family,  seem  to  find  here  an  appropriate 
position.  Besides  this,  they  give  us  glimpses  of  char- 
acter in  the  olden  time,  which  will  not  fail  to  gratify  the 
reader  and  pardon  a  digression. 

There  is  a  splendid  portrait  of  Colonel  Parke  at  Ar- 
lington house,  painted  by  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller,  in  which 
he  is  represented  as  arrayed  in  a  coat  of  crimson  velvet 
embroidered  with  gold,  and  which  well  becomes  his  fine 
figure  and  eminently  handsome  face.  He  was  bom  in 
the  colonies,  but  passed  most  of  his  life  in  England, 
where  he  possessed  valuable  estates,  leaving  his  wife 
with  two  daughters  in  charge  of  his  Virginia  property, 
which  was  also  extensive.  She  found  this  charge  so 
burdensome,  that  in  her  letters,  as  we  have  already 
observed,  she  begs  to  be  relieved,  and  urges  his  return. 
She  even  wrote  to  his  merchant  and  man  of  business, 
Micajah  Perry,  to  use  his  influence  in  persuading  him  to 
return.  But  the  fascinations  of  the  court  prevailed  over 
a  sense  of  duty,  and  while  there  he  was  appointed  aid- 
de-camp  to  the  great  Duke  of  Marlborough,  attended 
him  in  the  battle  of  Blenheim,  and  was  made  the  bearer 
of  the  following  letter  to  the  Duchess  of  Marlborough: — 

"I  have  not  time  to  say  more,  but  to  beg  you  will 
give  my  duty  to  the  queen,  and  let  her  know  her  army 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PABKE   CUSTIS.  23 

has  had  a  glorious  victory.  M.  Tallard  and  two  other 
generals  are  in  my  coach^  and  I  am  following  the  rest 
The  bearer,  my  aid-de-camp,  Colonel  Parke,  will  give  her 
an  accomit  of  what  has  passed  I  shall  do  it  in  a  day  or 
two  by  another  more  at  large.*  *'    Maklborough. 

"^  August  13,  1704." 

It  is  a  high  honor  to  be  the  bearer  of  tidings  of  victory 
to  a  monarch,  and  at  that  time  a  reward  of  £500  was 
usually  given  by  the  sovereigns  of  England  for  such 
services.  Colonel  Parke,  whose  estate  was  ample,  re- 
quested Queen  Anne  to  give  him  her  portrait  instead. 
The  request  was  granted,  and  the  portrait  was  painted  in 
miniature,  and  set  with  diamonds.  Colonel  Parke's  por- 
trait, painted  in  1707,  shows  this  miniature  pendant  from 
his  neck  by  a  red  ribbon,  Marlborough's  despatch  to  the 
queen  in  his  right  hand,  and  the  battle  of  Blenheim  in 
the  backgroimd.  Another  portrait  of  Colonel  Parke, 
painted  by  Ejieller,  is  still  in  the  possession  of  William 
Dillon,  Esq.,  whose  late  wife  was  his  great-niece. 

It  appears  by  the  following  letter  to  his  daughter,  that 
Colonel  Parke  went  to  Flanders  as  a  volimteer,  where, 
doubtless,  his  gallant  conduct  won  for  him  his  appoint* 
ment  in  the  staflF  of  Marlborough : — 

«  St.  James,  1702. 

^  My  Drab  Fanny  :  I  am  going  a  volunteer  under  the 
Duke  of  Marlborough,  to  Flanders,  where  I  served  also 
in  the  last  campaign  with  my  Lord  Arron,  the  Duke  of 

*  This  battle  waa  fought  on  the  2d  of  August,  1704,  between  the  English  and 
confederates,  commanded  by  Marlborongh,  and  the  £*rench  and  Bavarians  under 
Marshal  Tallard  and  the  Elector  of  Bavaria.  The  loss  of  the  latter  was  twenty- 
leren  thousand  killed  and  thirteen  thousand  prisoners.  The  English  nation  re- 
warded Marlborough  with  a  large  domain,  and  erected  for  him  one  of  the  finest  scats 
b  the  kingdom,  known  as  the  domain  and  house  of  Blenheim. 


24  MBBfOIR  OF 

Ormand's  brother,  and  was  in  every  action.  God  knows 
if  I  may  ever  see  you  more,  but  if  I  do  not,  I  shall  take 
care  to  leave  you  and  your  sister  in  very  happy  circum- 
stances, therefore  do  not  throw  yourself  away  upon  the 
first  idle  young  man  that  offers  if  you  have  a  mind  to 
marry.  I  know  it  is  the  desire  of  all  young  people  to  be 
married,  and  though  very  few  are  as  happy  after  mar- 
riage as  before,  yet  every  one  is  willing  to  make  the 
experiment  at  their  own  expense.  Consider  who  you 
marry  is  the  greatest  concern  to  you  in  the  world.  Be 
kind  and  good-natiured  to  all  yomr  servants.  It  is  much 
better  to  have  them  love  you  than  fear  you.  My  heart 
is  in  Virginia,  and  the  greatest  pleasure  I  propose  to 
myself  is  the  seeing  you  and  yom*  sister  happy.  That 
you  may  be  ever  so,  is  the  earnest  desire  of  yomr  affec- 
tionate father,  «  Daniel  Parke. 

^  I  got  some  reputation  last  summer,  which  I  hope  I 
shall  not  lose  this ;  I  am  promised  the  fiiist  old  regiment 
that  shall  fall,  being  now  made  a  colonel." 

Colonel  Parke  was  afterward  commissioned  a  general, 
and  appointed  governor  of  the  Leeward  islands.  An 
old  book  in  the  Arlington  library,  written  by  George 
French,  contains  an  account  of  his  administration  there, 
and  of  the  rebellion  in  Antigua,  by  which  it  seems 
that  he  became  obnoxious  to  a  seditious  faction,  was 
overpowered  by  numbers,  and  when  there  were  no  hopes 
of  safety  showed  an  undaimted  resolution.  When  he 
had  scarcely  a  second  left,  iu  a  personal  defence,  he  de- 
fied the  whole  strength  of  the  rebels,  till  at  last,  he 
received  a  shot  in  his  thigh,  which,  though  not  mortal, 
disabled  him,  and  he  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  EAB££  CUSTIS.  25 

*^  They  had  now  an  opportunity  of  sending  him  away 
to  what  place  and  in  what  manner  they  think  fit/'  says 
the  account^  "  but  instead  thereof,  they  use  him  with  the 
utmost  contempt  and  inhumanity.  They  strip  him  of 
his  clothes,  kick,  spurn  at,  and  beat  him  with  the  butts 
of  their  muskets,  by  which  means,  at  last,  they  break  his 
back.  They  drag  him  out  into  the  streets  by  a  leg  and 
arm,  and  his  head  trails  and  beats  from  step  to  step  of 
the  stone  stairs  at  the  entrance  of  his  house,  and  he  is 
dragged  on  the  coarse  gravelly  street,  which  raked  the 
skin  from  his  bones. 

^  These  cruelties  and  tortinres  force  tears  from  his 
eyes,  and  in  this  condition  he  is  left  expiring,  exposed 
to  the  scorching  sun,  out  of  the  heat  of  which  he  begs 
to  be  removed.  The  good-natured  woman,  who,  at  his 
request,  brought  him  water  to  quench  his  thirst,  is 
threatened  by  one  Samuel  Watkins  to  have  a  sword 
passed  through  her  for  her  humanity,  and  the  water  is 
dashed  out  of  her  hands.  He  is  insulted  and  reviled  by 
every  scoundrel,  in  the  agonies  of  death,  but  makes  no 
other  return  but  these  mild  expressions :  *  Gentlemen,  if 
you  have  no  sense  of  honor  left,  pray  have  some  of 
humanity.'  He  grateftdly  owns  the  kindness  of  friends, 
and  prays  God  to  reward  those  who  stood  by  him  that 
day.  At  last  he  was  removed  into  the  house  of  one  Mr. 
John  Wright,  near  the  place  where  he  lay,  and  there, 
recommending  his  soul  to  God,  with  some  pious  ejacula- 
tions,  he  pays  the  great  debt  of  nature,  and  death,  less 
cruel  than  his  enemies,  put  a  period  to  his  sujSerings. 

^  After  they  had  surfeited  themselves  with  cruelties, 
they  plundered  the  general's  house  and  broke  open  his 
store-houses,  so  that  his  estate  must  have  suffered  by 


26  MEacom  of 

that  day  in  money,  plate,  jewels,  clothes,  and  household 
goods,  by  the  most  moderate  computation,  five  thousand 
pounds  sterling,  for  which  his  executors  have  obtained 
no  satisfaction  to  this  day.  Thus  died  Colonel  Parke, 
whose  brave  end  shows  him  sufficiently  desendng  of  the 
commission  he  bore,  and  by  his  death  acquired  an  honor 
to  his  memory,  which  the  base  aspersions  of  his  enemies 
could  not  overthrow,"  This  tragedy  occurred  on  the 
7th  of  December,  1710. 

Colonel  Parke's  will,  in  which  he  devised  all  of  his  for- 
tune in  the  Leeward  islands  to  an  illegitimate  daughter, 
on  condition  that  she  should  take  his  name  and  coatof- 
arms,  naturally  gave  great  offence  to  his  children,  and  a 
tedious  law-suit  was  the  consequence.  His  legal  de- 
scendants are  still  in  possession  of  much  of  his  property 
in  Virginia,  and  part  of  the  handsome  service  of  plate 
presented  to  him  by  Queen  Anne.  His  friends  maintain 
that  in  his  public  career  his  life  was  irreproachable,  and 
that  loyalty  to  the  queen  was  the  cause  of  his  destruc- 
tion ;  yet  his  royal  mistress  forgot  her  favorite,  allowed 
his  murderers  to  hold  his  government  of  Antigua^  and 
never  remimerated  his  heirs  for  the  losses  sustained  in 
her  cause.  The  treatment  he  received  is  an  emphatic 
example  of  the  wisdom  of  the  injunction,  ^  Put  not  your 
trust  in  princes." 

Among  the  old  family  papers  at  Arlington  house,  I 
have  found  many  amusing  and  interesting  letters,  written 
by  Colonel  William  Byrd,  of  Westover  (to  whom  refer- 
ence has  already  been  made),  who  as  we  have  observed, 
married  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Parke,  and  was  for  a  long 
time  in  London  after  the  death  of  his  father-in-law,  at- 
tending to  the  settlement  of  that  gentleman's  estate. 


GEORQE  WASHmOTON  PARKE  CUSTIS.  27 

As  some  of  these  letters  have  reference  to  famUy  matters, 
and  are  interesting  in  themselves,  I  insert  a  few,  believ- 
ing that  they  are  not  ont  of  place  here,  considering  their 
connection.  They  are  addressed  to  Colonel  John  Custis, 
his  brother-in-law. 

The  following  letter,  in  which  reference  is  made  to 
Colonel  Parke,  was  written  in  Virginia  two  years  before 
the  tragedy  occurred  in  Antigua: — 

«  October,  1709. 

^  I  have  lately  been  favored  with  an  unusual  pleasinre 
from  Antigua,  in  which  I  find  we  have  not  altogether 
been  forgotten.  Our  Father  Parke  says  his  time  was 
very  short  and  he  could  not  write  to  you  theriy  but  is 
much  in  charity  with  us  all.  I  give  you  joy  on  the 
blessing  you  have  had  of  a  daughter,  and  hope  she  will  be 
an  ornament  to  the  sex,  and  a  happiness  to  her  parents. 
Our  son  sends  you  his  dutiful  respects,  and  I  may  ven- 
ture to  say,  as  much  for  Miss  Evelyn,  who  has  grown  a 
great  romp,  and  enjoys  very  robust  health.  How  is 
Madam  Dunn?  for  there  goes  a  prophecy  about,  that  in 
the  eastern  parts  of  Virginia  a  parson's  wife  will,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord,  1710,  have  four  children  at  a  birth, 
one  of  which  will  be  an  admiral,  and  another  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury.  What  the  other  two  will  prove,  the  sybil 
can  not  positively  say,  but  doubtless  they  will  be  some- 
thing extraordinary. 

^'My  choicest  compliments  to  Mrs.  Custis,  and  if  Mrs. 
Dunn  be  not  too  demure  a  prude,  now  she  is  related  to 
the  church,  I  would  send  her  my  salutes  in  the  best  form. 
"  Your  most  affectionate  humble  servant, 

W.  Bybd. 

"To  Colonel  John  Custis." 


28  MEMOIR  OS* 

On  the  21st  of  January,  1715,  Colonel  Byxd  wrote  to 
Colonel  CuBtis,  from  London,  as  follows : — 

"  Tis  a  singular  pleasure  to  hear  by  my  brigantme  of 
my  dear  brother's  recovery  from  so  sharp  and  tedious  an 
illness.  I  long  to  be  with  you,  for  this  place,  that  used 
to  have  so  many  charms  is  very  tasteless,  and  though  my 
person  is  here,  my  heart  is  in  Virginia.  My  affairs  suc- 
ceed well  enough,  but  all  solicitation  goes  on  very  slowly 
by  reason  that  the  ministry  is  taken  up  with  the  Rebel- 
lion, which  is  still  as  flagrant  as  ever  in  Scotland,  and 
my  patron,  the  Duke  of  Argyle,  commands  there  against 
them.*  I  am  in  perfect  peace  with  all  concerned  in 
debts  due  from  Colonel  Parke.  I  have  paid  the  most 
importunate,  and  allow  interest  for  the  bonds  I  can  not 
yet  discharge,  and  should  be  very  easy  if  I  could  get  the 
interest  of  his  customhouse  debt  remitted,  which  I  do 
not  yet  despair  of.  I  wish  my  dear  brother  a  full  con- 
firmation of  his  health.  If  he  has  the  courage  to  venture 
upon  another  wife,  I  hope  he  will  be  more  easy  in  his 
second  choice  than  he  was  in  his  firstf 

^  I  am,  with  most  entire  aflection,  dear  brother, 

"Your  most  obedient  servant.,        W.  Byed." 

*  King  James  II.,  was  driycn  from  the  English  throne  in  1688.  In  1715  his  son, 
Edward,  made  an  nnsueeessfal  attempt,  through  the  aid  of  the  Scotch,  to  regain  the 
throne  of  his  father,  as  his  ancle,  Charles  II.,  had  that  of  his  sire,  in  1660.  This 
effort  produced  quite  a  serious  rebellion.  A  grandson  of  King  James  made  another 
attempt  to  recover  the  throne  by  the  aid  of  the  Scotch,  in  1745,  and  a  still  more  seri- 
ous rebellion  was  the  consequence.  The  father  and  son  who  made  these  attempts, 
are  known  in  history  as  the  Old  and  the  Toung  Pretenders. 

t  At  about  this  time  Colonel  Byrd  purchased  a  watch  in  London  for  Colonel 
Custis,  and  in  a  letter  that  accompanied  it  to  Virginia,  he  said :  "  I  forebode  this  to 
be  a  sort  of  equipage  with  which  you  intend  to  set  out  a  courting.  The  misfortune  is, 
that  you  can  not  with  tolerable  decency  draw  forth  your  watch  in  presence  of  your 
mistress  without  giving  her  some  suspicion  that  you  measure  the  time  you  spend  in 
her  company." 


GEOBGB  WASHINCnON  PAfiKS  CUSTIS.  29 

Again,  on  the  2d  of  October,  1716,  Colonel  Byrd  wrote 
from  London  to  Colonel  Custis,  as  follows : — 

"  It  is  a  great  surprise  to  you  as  to  many  others,  that 
Mr.  Roscow  has  been  made  receiver-general  *  I  confess, 
if  I  had  ffwen  away  the  place,  it  is  likely  Mr.  Boscow  is 
not  the  person  in  the  world  I  should  soonest  have  given 
it  to,  but  if  you  put  the  case  that  I  sold  it,  you  would 
not  wonder  that  I  should  dispose  of  it  to  so  fair  a  bidder 
as  he  was;  and,  indeed,  I  fancy  there  are  not  many 
would  have  given  £500  for  it  Besides,  it  is  not  an  easy 
matter  to  transfer  an  office  depending  upon  the  treasury ; 
and  if  I  should  have  taken  so  much  time  as  to  send 
over  to  Virginia  to  treat  with  any  person  there,  I  might 
have  slipt  my  opportunity  and  lost  my  market  This 
being  the  case,  you  wiU  cease  to  wonder  at  the  matter. 
The  kind  visit  which  my  wife  has  made  me  wiU  be  the 
occasion  of  my  staying  here  another  winter,  that  so  she 
may  see  this  town  in  all  its  glory ;  and  I  am  the  more 
content  to  tarry,  because  the  lieutenant-governor  has 
sent  over  a  spiteful  complaint  against  me  and  Colonel 
Ludwell,  which  it  concerns  me  to  answer.  I  assure 
you  it  was  not  my  apprehension  of  being  Removed  by 
any  complaint  that  might  be  formed  against  me  that 
made  me  resign ;  but  such  an  office  as  that  of  receiver- 
general  of  the  king's  revenue  makes  a  man  liable  to  be 
ill-treated  by  a  governor,  under  the  notion  of  advancing 
his  majesty's  interest,  by  which  pious  pretence  he  may 

*  Beceirer-genenl  of  the  oolonj  of  Virginia,  held  by  Colonel  Bjrd  at  that  time. 
This  letter  lifts  the  veil  from  the  secret  workings  of  the  old  colonial  government, 
when  placemen  disposed  of  offices  to  the  highest  bidders ;  for  then,  as  now,  there 
were  buge  opportunities  for  public  plunder.  The  people  then  had  tittle  to  say  oon- 
oeraing  the  administration  of  pnblic  affairs,  especiallj  hj  those  appointed  bj  the 


30  MEMOm  OF 

heap  insupportable  trouble  upon  that  officer,  if  he  should 
have  the  spirit  to  oppose  his  will  and  pleasiure — he 
must  either  be  a  slave  to  his  humor,  must  fawn  upon 
him,  and  jiunp  over  a  stick  whenever  he  is  bid,  or  else 
he  must  have  so  much  trouble  loaded  upon  him  as  to 
make  his  place  uneasy.  In  shorty  such  a  man  must  be 
either  the  governor's  dog  or  his  ass ;  neither  of  which 
stations  suit  in  the  least  with  my  constitution.  For  this 
reason  I  resolved  to  make  the  most  of  it  by  surrender- 
ing to  any  one  that  would  come  up  to  my  price,  well 
knowing  that  my  interest  in  the  treasury  was  suffi- 
cient to  do  it,  and  now  I  am  at  full  liberty  to  oppose 
every  design  that  may  seem  to  be  arbitrary  or  unjust 
The  cmrrent  news  which  you  had  of  my  being  governor 
of  the  Leeward  Islands,  expresses  very  naturally  the 
genius  of  our  country  for  invention.  I  protest  to  you  it 
never  once  entered  into  my  head  to  sue  for  that  gov- 
ernment 

"  God  in  heaven  bless  you  and  your  two  little  cherubs, 
to  whom  I  wish  all  happiness,  being  your  most  affection- 
ate brother, 

«W.  Byrd." 

At  this  time  Colonel  Byrd  wrote  as  follows  to  an  im- 
known  female  friend : — 

"  I  have  been  made  happy  with  several  of  Irene's  let- 
ters, and  at  this  time  stand  in  need  of  most  diversion  to 
support  me  under  the  melancholy  I  suffer  for  my  dear 
Fidelia's  absence.  I  fear  you  are  too  busy  in  copying 
after  the  wise  women  that  Solomon  describes,  to  spend 
much  of  your  time  upon  hm  do  ye's.  But  remember 
that  the  consequence  of  care  is  early  wrinkles,  and  what* 
ever  you  may  get  by  it>  you  will  be  sure  to   lose   in 


GEORGE  WASmNOTON   PARKE   CUSTIS.  31 

peace  and  constitution.  They  tell  me  you  have  been 
immoderately  afflicted  for  the  loss  of  your  *  dear  Poppet,* 
but,  by  the  terms  on  which  it  was  born,  you  were  to  part 
with  it  when  its  Maker  pleased.  You  ought  to  have  re- 
flected that  Providence  acts  by  unerring  wisdom,  and 
therefore  would  never  had  recalled  its  gifts  but  because 
it  was  better  so  than  the  contrary  would  be.  God  Al- 
mighty is  ever  contriving  for  our  happiness,  and  does 
many  things  for  our  good  which  appear  to  our  short 
sight  to  be  terrible  misfortunes.  But  by  the  time  the 
last  act  of  the  play  comes  on,  we  grow  convinced  of  our 
mistake,  and  look  back  with  pleasure  to  those  scenes 
which  at  first  appeared  unfortunate.  This  is  the  case  in 
most  accidents  that  are  called  disasters,  misery,  and  many 
other  terms,  which  our  ignorance  gives  them.  We  should 
imitate  the  philosopher  that  we  read  of,  who,  when  he 
heard  of  his  son's  death,  calmly  observed,  that  he  was 
saved  from  the  evil  to  come ;  and  of  the  misconduct  of  his 
wife,  told  his  friend  without  any  disorder,  that  he  knew 
he  had  married  a  woman.  This  equality  of  temper 
would  save  the  world  abundance  of  sighs  and  com- 
plaints, especially  that  part  of  it  that  acknowleges 
itself  in  the  care  of  a  wise  and  merciful  God. 

^  Pardon  me,  dear  Irene,  for  preaching,  which  is  ill-bred, 
because  it  supposes  that  the  party  stands  in  need  of  it 
However,  I  can  excuse  the  rudeness  by  pleading  the  in- 
finite inclination  I  have  for  your  happiness.  I  would 
have  you  without  fault,  which  will  suppose  you  without 
any  misfortune.** 

Toward  the  close  of  the  year  1716,  Colonel  Byrd 
wrote  to  Colonel  Custis,  as  follows : — 

"  My  daughter,  Evelyn,  has  arrived  safe,  thank  God,  and 


82  MEMOIR  OF 

I  hope  I  shall  manage  her  in  such  a  manner,  that  she 
may  be  no  discredit  to  her  comitry.  I  am  endeavoring 
to  get  something  from  the  treasury  for  your  children 
and  mine,  but  as  the  success  of  it  is  somewhat  doubtful, 
I  will  mention  no  more  about  it  till  it  shall  be  deter- 
mined. I  do  long  to  see  you,  but  can  hardly  persuade 
myself  to  return  till  I  can  get  it  decided,  whether  a 
governor  may  hang  any  man  he  takes  to  be  his  adver- 
sary or  not  For  if  it  be  in  his  power  to  appoint  me 
my  judges,  I  am  sure  I  won't  come  within  his  reach  lest 
I  fall  a  sacrifice  to  his  resentment  However,  I  am 
laboring  with  all  my  might  to  hinder  so  great  a  power 
from  being  lodged  in  any  bashaw,  lest  they  be  too  mudi 
inclined  to  make  use  of  it.  We  have  got  both  the  to- 
bacco law  and  that  about  the  Indian  trade  repealed, 
which  I  hope  may  not  be  unacceptable  to  the  country. 
I  wish  you,  and  your  dear,  pretty  children,  aU  health  and 
happiness,  being  with  all  my  love,  dear  brother,  your 
most  obedient,  hmnble  servant  W.  Byrd." 

Shortly  after  this.  Colonel  Byrd  conveyed  to  Colonel 
Custis  very  melancholy  intelligence,  as  follows : — 

"London,  I3th  December,  1716. 

"  When  I  wrote  last  I  little  expected  that  I  should  be 
forced  to  tell  you  the  very  melancholy  news  of  my  dear 
Lucy's  death,  by  the  very  same,  cruel  distemper  that 
destroyed  her  sister.  She  was  taken  with  an  insupport- 
able pain  in  her  head.  The  doctor  soon  discovered  her 
ailment  to  be  the  small-pox,  and  we  thought  it  best  to 
tell  her  the  danger.*    She  received  the  news  without 

♦  Two  years  later  than  this  (1718),  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montagu  retarned  from 
Constantinople,  and  intcoduced  the  practice  of  inoculatum  for  the  small-pox,  which 
she  had  learned  while  in  that  eastern  city.  Vaccinalion  was  introduced  by  Jenner, 
about  the  year  1776. 


OBOBGE  WASHINOTON  PABEE  CUSTIS.  33 

&,e  least  fiight^  and  was  persuaded  she  would  live  until 
the  day  she  died,  which  happened  in  12  hours  from  the 
time  she  was  taken.  Gracious  Grod  what  pains  did  she 
take  to  make  a  voyage  hither  to  seek  a  grave.  No 
stranger  ever  met  with  more  respect  in  a  strange  coun- 
tij  than  she  had  done  here,  from  many  persons  of  dis- 
tinction, who  all  pronounced  her  an  honor  to  Virginia. 
Alas !  how  proud  was  I  of  her,  and  how  severely  am  I 
punished  for  it.  But  I  can  dwell  no  longer  on  so  afflict- 
ing a  subject^  much  less  can  I  think  of  anything  else, 
therefore,  I  can  only  recommend  myself  to  your  pity, 
wd  am  as  much  as  any  one  can  be,  dear  brother,  your 
most  affectionate  and  humble  servant,  W.  Bt£d." 

Returning  from  this  long  digression,  we  will  resume 
the  memoir  of  the  author  of  the  RecoUediom. 

George  Washington  Parke  Custis  was  bom  at  Mount 
Airy,  Maryland,  on  the  thirtieth  of  April,  1781.  That 
was  the  seat  of  his  maternal  grandfather,  Benedict  Gal- 
vert,  a  descendant  of  Cecil  Calvert,  Lord  Baltimore.* 
The  walls  of  this  venerable  mansion  are  graced  with 
fine  portraits  of  several  of  the  Lords  Baltimore,  by 
Vandyke;  and  one  of  Eleanor  Calvert,  the  mother  of 
Mr.  Custis.  It  represents  a  young  lady  of  a  romantic 
and  slight  figure  in  a  riding  costume,  with  a  bojr's  hat 
and  open  jacket  She  seems  scarcely  fifteen,  with  a 
bright  and  hopeful  countenance.  Such  was  her  temper- 
ament, we  are  told,  through  all  the  toils  of  life.  The  com- 
mencement of  her  career  was  brilliant  enough.  Married 
at  sixteen  to  John  Parke  Custis,  a  youth  of  nineteen, 

*  CecQ  Calrert  was  the  lecond  Lord  Baltimore,  and  son  8f  the  first  of  that  title, 
uto  obtained  from  Charles  the  First  a  charter  for  a  domain  in  America,  which,  in 
honor  of  his  Qnoen,  Henriette  Marie  (Marf ),  he  called  Maanflandn 

3 


S4  iiEai<»E  OF 

ihe  ward  and  favorite  of  Washington^  the  only  son  of 
Mrs.  Washington,  of  large  fortune,  and  a  most  amiable 
and  generous  disposition,  they  passed  several  years  at 
Abingdon,  a  country-seat  on  the  Potomac,  near  Wash- 
ington city,  in  the  enjoyment  of  such  felicity  as  rarely 
fidls  to  the  lot  of  mortals. 

After  the  death  of  Mrs.  Washington's  daughter,  al- 
ready mentioned,  the  hopes  of  the  mother  centred  in 
this  son,  who  was  then  between  sixteen  and  seventeen 
years  of  age.  She  was  extremely  indulgent  to  him, 
and  she  often  pleaded  in  his  behalf,  when  Washington 
found  it  necessary  to  exercise  a  wholesome  restraint 
upon  hisL  He  was  placed  under  the  care  of  an  episco- 
pal clergyman,  at  Annapolis,  in  Maryland,  to  be  educated, 
but  the  wayward  boy  was  frequently  away  from  his 
studies,  engaged  in  fox-hunting  and  other  amusements 
at  Mount  Vernon.  He  conceived  a  strong  desire  to 
travel,  but  Washington  opposed  a  scheme  that  would 
interrupt  his  studies.  It  was  abandoned,  but  he  soon 
because  diverted  from  his  books  by  a  passion  stronger 
than  a  desire  to  travel.  He  became  deeply  enamored 
of  Eleanor,  the  second  daughter  of  Benedict  Calvert,  of 
Mount  Airy,  Maryland,  and  much  to  the  concern  of 
Washington,  when  he  discovered  it,  they  formed  a  matri- 
monial engagement  His  only  objection  was  their  ex- 
treme youth ;  and  on  the  third  of  April,  1773,  he  ad- 
dressed the  following  letter  to  Mr.  Calvert : — 

"  Mount  Vkrnon,  April  8rd,  1773. 

**Dbae  Sm :  I  am  now  set  down  to  write  to  you  on  a 

subject  of  importance,  and  of  no  small  embarrassment 

to  me.    My  son-in-law  and  ward,  Mr.  Custis,  has,  as  I 

have  been  informed,  paid  his  addresses  to  your  second 


GEOBOE  WASHINQTON  VABSE  CUSTIS.  36 

dai^ter,  and^  having  made  some  progress  in  her  affeo- 
tions^  has  solicited  her  in  marriage.  How  ftr  a  miion  c^ 
this  sort  may  be  agreeable  to  you,  you  best  can  tell ;  but 
I  diould  think  myself  wanting  in  candor,  were  I  not  to 
confess,  that  Miss  Nelly's  amiable  qualities  are  acknowl- 
edged on  all  hands,  and  that  an  alliance  with  your  family 
will  be  pleasing  to  hi& 

**  This  acknowledment  being  made,  you  must  permit 
me  to  add,  sir,  that  at  this,  or  in  any  short  time,  his 
youth,  inexperience,  and  unripened  education,  are,  and 
will  be,  insuperable  obstacles,  in  my  opinion,  to  the  comr 
jdetion  of  the  marriage.  As  his  guardian,  I  consider  it 
my  indispensable  duty  to  endeavor  to  carry  him  through 
a  regular  course  of  education  (many  branches  of  which, 
I  am  sorry  to  add,  he  is  totally  deficient  in),  and  to 
guard  his  youth  to  a  more  advanced  age,  before  an 
events  on  which  his  own  peace  and  the  happiness  of  an- 
other are  to  depend,  takes  place.  Not  that  I  have  any 
doubt  of  the  warmth  of  his  affections,  nor,  I  hope  I  may 
add,  any  fears  of  a  change  in  them ;  but  at  present  I  do 
not  conceive  that  he  is  capable  of  bestowing  that  atten- 
tion to  the  important  consequences  of  the  married  state, 
which  is  necessary  to  be  given  by  those  who  are  about 
to  enter  into  it,  and  of  course  I  am  unwilling  he  should 
do  it  till  he  is.  J£  the  affection  which  they  have  avowed 
£>r  each  other  is  fixed  upon  a  solid  basis,  it  wiU  receive 
no  diminution  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  years,  in 
which  time  he  may  prosecute  his  studies,  and  thereby 
render  himself  more  deserving  of  the  lady,  and  useful 
to  society.  I^  unfortunately,  as  they  are  both  young, 
there  should  be  an  abatement  of  affection  on  either  side, 
or  both^  it  had  better  precede  than  follow  marriage. 


36  MEMOm  OF 

^  Delivering  my  sentiments  thus  freely  will  not,  I  hope, 
lead  you  into»a  belief  that  I  am  desirous  of  breaking  off 
the  matcL  To  postpone  it  is  all  I  have  in  view ;  for  I 
shall  recommend  to  the  young  gentleman,  wHii  the 
warmth  that  becomes  a  man  of  honor  (notwithstanding 
he  did  not  vouchsafe  to  consult  either  his  mother  or  me 
on  the  occasion),  to  consider  himself  aa  much  engaged 
to  your  daughter  as  if  the  indissoluble  knot  were  tied ; 
and,  as  the  smrest  means  of  effecting  this,  to  apply  him- 
self closely  to  his  studies  (and  in  this  advice,  I  flatter 
myself,  you  will  join  me),  by  which  he  will,  in  a  great 
measure,  avoid  those  little  flirtations  with  other  young 
ladies,  that  may,  by  dividing  the  attention,  contribute 
not  a  little  to  divide  the  affection. 

^It  may  be  expected  of  me,  perhaps,  to  say  something 
of  property;  but,  to  descend  to  particulars,  at  this  time, 
must  seem  rather  premature.  In  general,  therefore,  I 
shall  inform  you,  that  Mr.  Custis's  estate  consists  of 
about  fifteen  thousand  acres  of  land,  a  good  part  of  it 
adjoining  the  city  of  Williamsburg,  and  none  of  it  forty 
miles  from  that  place;  several  lots  in  the  said  city; 
between  two  and  three  hundred  negroes;  and  about 
eight  or  ten  thousand  pounds  upon  bond,  and  in  the 
hands  of  his  merchants.  This  estate  he  now  holds,  inde- 
pendent of  his  mother's  dower,  which  will  be  an  addition 
to  it  at  her  death ;  and,  upon  the  whole,  it  is  such  an 
estate  as  you  will  readily  acknowledge,  ought  to  entitle 
him  to  a  handsome  portion  with  a  wife.  But  as  I  should 
never  require  a  child  of  my  own  to  make  a  sacrifice  of 
himself  to  interest^  so  neither  do  I  think  it  incumbent 
on  me  to  recommend  it  as  a  guardian. 

At  all  times  when  you,  Mrs.  Calvert^  or  the  yoimg 


GEORGB  WASHINQTON  PAKKE  CUSTIS.  37 

ladies  can  make  it  convenient  to  favor  ns  with  a  visit^ 
we  should  be  happy  in  seeing  you  at  this  place.  Mrs. 
Washington  and  Miss  Custis  join  me  in  respectful  com- 
pliments,  and^ 

^  I  am,  dear  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant" 

It  was  agreed  that  the  youth  should  pass  two  years 
at  college,  before  the  marriage  could  take  place.  He 
was  sent  to  King's  (now  Columbia)  college,  in  New  York 
city,  but  he  remained  there  only  a  few  months.  Love 
and  learning  did  not  move  in  harmony,  and  on  the  third 
of  February,  1774,  young  Custis  was  married  to  Miss 
Calvert,  when  the  bridegroom  was  a  little  more  than 
nineteen  years  of  age. 

Four  children  were  the  fruits  of  this  union,  all  bom  at 
Abingdon^  except  George  Washington  Parke.  Elizabeth 
Parke  was  bom  on  the  twenty-first  of  August,  1776,  and 
married  Mr.  Law,  nephew  of  Lord  Ellenborough.  She 
was  a  lady  of  great  beauty  and  talent  Martha  Parke 
was  bom  on  the  thirty-first  of  December,  1777,  and  was 
early  married  to  Thomas  Peter.  She  was  a  woman  of 
fine  and  dignified  appearance.  Her  husband  was  a  man 
of  wealth,  and  great  excellence  of  character ;  and  she 
passed  her  long  life  in  the  conscientous  performance  of 
all  her  domestic  duties.  Eleanor  Parke,  bom  on  the 
twenty-first  of  March,  1779,  married  Lawrence  Lewis, 
the  favorite  nephew  of  General  Washington.  George 
Washington  Parke,  the  yoimgest  child,  first  saw  the 
light,  as  we  have  observed,  at  Mount  Airy,  in  April, 
1781. 

Very  soon  the  bright  sky  that  illumined  the  household 
of  John  Parke  Custis  and  his  yoimg  wife  became  dark- 


38  MEMOIR  OF 

ened.  He  was  aid-de-camp  to  General  Washington  at 
the  siege  of  Yorktown,  A  violent  attack  of  camp-feyer 
obliged  him  to  leave  his  post  for  Eltham,  a  place  not  far 
distant  General  Washington  hastened  thither  as  soon 
as  possible,  but  was  met  at  the  door  by  Dr.  Craik,  who 
informed  him  that  all  was  over.  The  chief  bowed  his 
head,  and  in  tears  gave  vent  to  his  deep  sorrow ;  then 
turning  to  the  weeping  mother,  he  said :  ^  I  adopt  the 
two  younger  children  as  my  own."*  Thus,  at  six  months 
of  age,  did  my  father,  the  subject  of  this  Memoir, 
become  the  child  of  Moimt  Vernon,  the  idol  of  his 
grandmother,  and  an  object  on  which  was  lavished  the 
caresses  and  attention  of  the  many  distinguished  guests 
who  thronged  that  hospitable  mansion.  His  beautiful  sis- 
ter Nelly  often  observed :  ^  Grandmamma  always  spoiled 
Washington."  He  was  ^the  pride  of  her  heart,"  while 
the  public  duties  of  the  veteran  prevented  the  exercise 
of  his  influence  in  forming  the  character  of  the  boy, 
foo  softly  nurtured  under  his  roof,  and  gifted  with 
talents  which,  imder  a  sterner  discipline,  might  have 
been  made  more  available  for  his  own  and  his  country's 
good. 

It  was  not  until  he  entered  the  college  at  Princeton, 
that  the  attention  of  the  "father^'  was  particularly 
drawn  to  those  faults,  which  should  have  been  cor- 
rected at  an  earlier  period.  The  deep  solicitude  which 
these  faults  occasioned  may  be  estimated,  in  a  meas- 
ure, by  the  correspondence  between  Washington  and 
the  son  of  his  adoption,  appended  to  this  Memoir. 

At  the  time  of  the  birth  of  Eleanor  (the  eldest  of  the 
two  children  adopted  by  Washington),  her  mother  was 

*  Geoxge  Washington  Parke  Castis»  and  Eleanor  Parke  Costis. 


GBOBGB  WASBQDfrOTOK  P^EE  CUSTIB.  39 

very  ill^  and  Mrs.  Waahingion  took  the  child  to  Mount 
Vernon,  to  be  nuxsed  by  the  wife  of  the  steward,  a 
healthy  English  woman  named  Anderson,  who  had  lost 
her  infant  She  called  Mrs.  Anderson  ^  mammy,''  and 
remembered  running  with  her  to  meet  the  General  and 
Lady  Washington,  on  their  return  from  camp  in  a  caiv 
liage  drawn  by  six  horses.  She  was  then  three  yeani 
old,  having  remained  all  that  time  mider  the  care  of 
Mrs.  Lund  Washington,  the  wife  of  the  general's  ageni 
Her  young  brother,  George,  was  nursed  by  the  same 
womaiL 

A  daughter  of  Mrs,  Lewis,  (formerly  Eleanor  Park^ 
Custis)  informed  the  writer  that  their  first  tutor  was 
Gideon  Snow.  "I  saw  him  when  I  was  in  Boston," 
she  said,  ^  in  1824.  He  called  with  a  grown  daughter 
to  see  my  mother,  and  talked  of  'little  George'  and 
seemed  sincerely  attached  to  both  his  pupUs,  and  to  be 
himself  respected  and  beloved  in  Boston."*    Their  seo- 

*  Ths  foUowing  letter,  written  to  Mr.  Cnstifl  by  his  old  tator,  after  the  hipae  of 
more  than  fifty  years,  possesses  macfa  interest : — 

<'Bo8TOV,  HkMartk,  1850. 

'^Mt  Dbax  Fbikhd  :  I  am  mach  gratified  by  receiving  yoor  esteemed  letter  of 
8d  instant  yesterday.  You  ask  a  oopy  of  yonr  letter  of  ancient  date.  With  pleas- 
me  I  comply  with  yoor  request.  The  original  has  been  presenred  with  care  and 
interest,  for  the  love  I  bore  the  writer;  but  if  the  writer  has  a  wish  to  possess  it,  I 
shall  be  gratified  to  send  it  to  him.  I  reoeired  it  enclosed  by  onr  mntoal  friend,  Mr. 
Iiear,  in  a  letter,  which  I  can  not  find,  but  recollect  he  infoimed  me  it  was  written 
at  yoor  own  request,  on  a  rery  warm  afternoon.  When  finished  you  expressed  your 
wish  to  have  it  forwarded.  Mr.  Lear  requested  me  to  retain  it  with  care,  as  it  was 
the  first  letter  you  had  expressed  a  wish  to  write,  and  the  time  would  come  when 
yon  woold  reoeiTe  pleasure  in  seeing  it  should  your  life  be  spared. 

"I  showed  you  the  letter  when  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  in  Boston,  after 
an  absence  of  more  than  fifty  years.  I  do  not  recollect  naming  the  date  at  any  time. 
I  might  have  done  so — the  date  is  1787,  instead  of  1785  as  named  by  you. 

"In  looking  over  a  few  of  Mr.  Lear's  letters,  which  I  have  retained,  I  see,  under 
date  July  9th,  1787,  'I  have  a  message :  Washington  sends  his  love  to  you,  and 
says  yon  are  not  a  man  of  yonr  word,  for  yon  promised  to  come  down  here  on  Sun- 


40  HEMOIB  OF 

ond  tutor  was  Mr.  Lear,  afterward  private  secretary  to 
General  Washington^  who  lived  at  the  president's  house 
in  Philadelphia. 

Nelly  Gustis  was  considered  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
women  of  the  day,  to  which  her  portrait^  at  Arlington 
house,  by  Gilbert  Stuart,  bears  testimony.  All  who  knew 
her  can  recall  the  pleasure  which  they  derived  fix>m 
her  extensive  information,  brilliant  wit^  and  boundless 
generosity.  The  most  tender  parent  and  devoted  friend, 
she  lived  in  the  enjoyment  of  her  affections."^  She  was 
often  urged  to  write  her  memoirs,  which  might  even 
have  surpassed,  in  interest  to  her  coxmtrymen,  those  of 
Madame  de  Sevigne  and  others  of  equal  note,  as  her 
pen  gave  free  utterance  to  her  lively  imagination  and 
clear  memory.  Would  that  we  could  recall  the  many 
tales  of  the  past  we  have  heard  from  her  lips,  but  alas ! 
we  should  fail  to  give  them  accurately.    One  narrative 

dmj  and  did  not/— Mj  inclination  was  good,  but  a  call  to  another  act  preyented. 
Whon  we  met  again  yonr  interest  did  not  appear  diminished.  On  the  9th  January, 
1788,  *  handsome  soft  black  doth  was  purchased  for  your  coat  and  overalls.'  Dec. 
18, 1788, 1  was  asked  to  inquire  of  Dr.  Craik  where  he  procured  the  Latin  grammar 
for  his  sons,  '  as  I  am  about  initiating  my  young  pupil  in  that  language.'  These 
extracts  may  amuse.  From  your  dear,  departed  mother  I  always  received  maternal 
kindness .  The  recollection  of  her  will  never  pass  from  me.  I  passed  one  Sunday  at 
Hope  Pftrk  very  happUy.  Your  dear  mother  and  your  sisters  were  present.  Mrs. 
Snow  requests  her  respectful  remembrance.  I  thought  of  you  at  Richmond  with 
the  president  I  imagined  you  happy  in  the  enjoyments  of  the  interesting  scene. 
I  thank  you  for  your  kind  wishes,  and  sincerely  reciprocate  them. 

"  GiDBON  Snow." 

The  following  is  the  copy  of  the  letter  alluded  to  by  Mr.  Snow : — 

"MouKT  Vbrwom,  3%  latA,  1787. 

"DsAB  Skow  :  I  should  be  very  happy  to  see  you  here  if  you  can  find  time  to 
OMue  down.    When  will  you  send  my  waggon  to  me  ?    For  my  old  one  is  almost 
worn  out,  and  I  shall  have  none  to  get  in  my  harvest  with. 
I  am,  dear  Snow,  your  friend,  &c.. 

Very  H'ble  Serv't,  G.  W.  P.  Cubtis." 

*  She  died  in  Clarke  county,  Vtiginia,  in  1859,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 


GEOBOE  WASHIROTON  PABSE  CUSTIS.  41 

is  retained,  as  it  made  a  strong  impression  at  the  time. 
She  said  the  most  perfect  harmony  always  existed  ^be- 
tween her  grandmamma  and  the  general;"  that  in  all 
his  intercourse  with  her  he  was  most  considerate  and 
tender.  She  had  often  seen  her  when  she  had  some- 
thing to  communicate,  or  a  request  to  make,  at  a  mo- 
ment when  his  mind  was  entirely  abstracted  from  the 
present^  seize  him  by  the  button  to  command  his  atten- 
tion, when  he  would  look  down  upon  her  with  a  most 
benignant  smile,  and  become  at  once  attentive  to  her 
and  her  wishes,  which  were  never  slighted.  She  also 
said,  the  grave  dignity  which  he  usually  wore  did  not 
prevent  his  keen  enjo3anent  of  a  joke,  and  that  no 
one  laughed  more  heartily  than  he  did,  when  she,  her- 
self, a  gay,  laughing  girl,  gave  one  of  her  saucy  descrip- 
tions of  any  scene  iu  which  she  had  taken  part,  or 
any  one  of  the  merry  pranks  she  then  often  played; 
and  that  he  would  retire  from  the  room  in  which  her 
young  companions  were  amusing  themselves,  because 
his  presence  created  a  reserve  which  they  could  not 
overcome.  But  he  always  regretted  it  exceedingly,  as 
he  liked  nothing  better  than  to  look  on  at  their  sports 
and  see  them  happy.  His  letter  to  her  on  the  occasion 
of  her  first  ball,  may  be  so  appropriately  introduced 
here,  that  we  give  it  entire,  precisely  as  it  was  written 
in  the  original,  now  before  us.  Miss  Custis  was  then 
about  sixteen  years  of  age. 

«  PmLA.,  January  16, 1795. 
^  Your  letter,  the  receipt  of  which  I  am  now  acknowl- 
edging, is  written  correctly  and  in  fair  characters,  which 
is  an  evidence  that  you  command,  when  you  please,  a 
fair  hand.     Possessed  of  these  advantages,  it  will  be 


48  lODixHB  or 

your  own  fiiult  if  you  do  not  avail  yourself  of  them, 
and  attention  being  paid  to  the  choice  of  your  BubjectB, 
you  can  have  nothing  to  fear  fix>m  the  malignancy  of 
criticism,  as  your  ideas  are  lively,  and  your  descriptions 
agreeable.  Let  me  touch  a  little  now  on  your  George* 
town  ball,  and  happy,  thrice  happy,  for  the  fair  who 
were  assembled  on  the  occasion,  that  there  was  a  man 
to  spare ;  for  had  there  been  79  ladies  and  only  78  gen- 
tlemen, there  might,  in  the  course  of  the  evening,  have 
been  some  disorder  among  the  caps;  notwithstanding 
tibie  apathy  which  cm  of  the  company  entertains  for  the 
^ymdK  of  the  present  day,  and  her  determination  '  never 
to  give  herself  a  moment's  uneasiness  on  account  of  any 
of  them.'  A  hint  here ;  men  and  women  feel  the  same 
inclinations  to  each  other  wm  that  they  always  have 
done,  and  which  they  will  continue  to  do  until  there  is 
a  new  order  <^  things,  and  ym^  as  others  have  done, 
may  find,  perhaps,  that  the  passions  of  your  sex  are 
easier  raised  than  allayed.  Do  not^  therefore,  boast  too 
soon  or  too  strongly  of  your  insensibility  to,  or  resist- 
ance of,  its  powers.  In  the  composition  of  the  human 
frame  there  is  a  good  deal  of  inflammable  matter,  how- 
ever dormant  it  may  lie  for  a  time,  and  like  an  inti- 
mate acquaintance  of  yours,  when  the  torch  is  put  to  it, 
that  which  is  vMhin  yoti  may  bmrst  into  a  blaze ;  for  which 
reason,  and  especially  too,  as  1  have  entered  upon  the 
chapter  of  advices,  I  will  read  you  a  lecture  drawn 
from  this  text 

^  Love  is  said  to  be  an  involuntary  passion,  and  it  is, 
therefore,  contended  that  it  can  not  be  resisted.  This 
is  true  in  part  only,  for  like  all  things  else,  when  nomv 
ished  and  supplied  plentifully  with  aliment^  it  is  rapid  in 


GEOBGE  WASKINCaOBr  BAKEE  CUSTI8.  4S 

ito  progress;  but  let  these  be  mthdraTm  and  it  maj 
be  stifled  in  its  birth  or  much  stinted  in  its  growth. 
For  example,  a  woman  (the  same  may  be  said  of  the 
other  sex)  all  beautiful  and  accomplished,  will,  while  her 
hand  and  heart  are  undisposed  of,  turn  the  heads  and 
set  the  circle  in  which  she  moves  on  fire.  Let  her 
murty^  and  what  is  the  consequence.  The  madness 
ceases  and  all  is  quiet  again.  Why  ?  not  because  there 
is  any  diminution  in  the  charms  of  the  lady,  but  because 
there  is  an  end  of  hope.  Hence  it  fbllows,  that  love 
may  and  therefore  ought  to  be  imder  the  guidance  of 
reason,  for  although  we  can  not  avoid  first  impressions, 
we  may  assuredly  place  them  imder  guard;  and  my 
motives  for  treating  on  this  subject  are  to  show  you, 
while  you  remain  Eleanor  Parke  Custis,  spinster,  and 
retain  the  resolution  to  love  with  moderation,  the  pro^ 
priety  of  adhering  to  the  latter  resolution,  at  least  until 
yon  have  secured  your  game,  and  the  way  by  which  it 
may  be  accomplished. 

^  When  the  fire  is  beginning  to  kindle,  and  your  heart 
growing  warm,  propound  these  questions  to  it  Who  is 
tfaki  invader  ?  Have  I  a  competent  knowledge  of  him  ? 
Is  he  a  man  of  good  character ;  a  man  of  sense  ?  For, 
be  assured,  a  sensible  woman  can  never  be  happy  with  a 
fooL  What  has  been  his  walk  of  life  ?  Is  he  a  gambler, 
a  spendthrift,  or  drunkard  ?  Is  his  fortune  sufiicient  to 
maintain  me  in  the  manner  I  have  been  accustomed  to 
live,  and  my  sisters  do  live,  and  is  he  one  to  whom  my 
friends  can  have  no  reasonable  objection  ?  If  these  in- 
terrogatories can  be  satisfactorily  answered,  there  will 
r^QQiain  but  one  more  to  be  asked,  ttiat,  however,  is  an 
important  one.    Have  I  sufl&cient  groimd  to  conclude 


44  MEHOIB  OF 

that  his  affections  are  engaged  by  me?  Without  this 
the  heart  of  sensibility  will  struggle  against  a  passion 
that  is  not  reciprocated — delicacy,  custom,  or  call  it  by 
what  epithet  you  will,  having  precluded  all  advances  on 
your  part  The  declaration,  without  the  most  indirect  in- 
vitation of  yours,  must  proceed  from  the  man,  to  render 
it  permanent  and  valuable,  and  nothing  short  of  good 
sense  and  an  easy  imaffected  conduct  can  draw  the  line 
between  prudery  and  coquetry.  It  would  be  no  great 
departure  from  truth  to  say,  that  it  rarely  happens 
otherwise  than  that  a  thorough-paced  coquette  dies  in 
celibacy,  as  a  punishment  for  her  attempts  to  mislead 
others,  by  encouraging  looks,  words,  or  actions,  given 
for  no  other  purpose  than  to  draw  men  on  to  make 
overtures  that  they  may  be  rejected. 

"  This  day,  according  to  our  information,  gives  a  hus- 
band to  your  elder  sister,  and  consummates,  it  is  to  be 
presiuned,  her  fondest  desires.  The  dawn  with  us  is 
bright,  and  propitious,  I  hope,  of  her  future  happiness, 
for  a  full  measure  of  which  she  and  Mr.  Law  have  my 
earnest  wishes.  Compliments  and  congratulations  on 
this  occasion,  and  best  regards  are  presented  to  your 
mamma,  Dr.  Stuart  and  family;  and  every  blessing, 
among  which,  a  good  husband  when  you  want  and  de- 
serve one,  is  bestowed  on  you  by  yours,  affectionately.'** 

This  beautiful  and  accomplished  lady  married  Law- 
rence Lewis,  the  favorite  nephew  of  Washington,  and 

*  Washington  wrote  many  other  letters  to  his  sprightly  ward  and  foster-child,  bat 
they  have  been  lost  or  destroyed.  These  seem  to  show  how  his  comprehensive  mind 
had  moments  of  thought  and  action  to  bestow  on  all  connected  with  him,  and  how 
deeply  his  affections  were  interested  in  the  family  of  his  wife,  who  were  cared  for  as 
if  they  had  been  his  own.  They  were  written  at  a  time  when  the  cares  of  state,  as 
nresident  of  the  republic,  were  pressing  heavily  upon  him. 


C----''^:    ^>-^::^-<^-'<:-<---'21--<^ 


OEOBSB  WASHnfOTON  FABEE  008118. 


45 


"Gbobob  W.  p.  Costib." 


C     ) 


GBOBGE  WASmNGTON  PABEE  CUSTIB.  45 

Bon  of  his  only  sister^  Elizabeth^  of  whose  rema:rkable 
resemblance  to  the  general,  mention  is  made  in  the 
memoir  of  their  mother,  given  in  the  RecoUectiom.  They 
were  married  on  the  twenty-second  of  February  (Wash- 
ington's birthday),  1799.  A  month  before,  Washington 
wrote  to  his  nephew,  «s  follows : — 

"Mount  Vernon,  2M  January^  1799. 

"  Dear  Lawrence  :  Your  letter  of  the  10th  instant  I 
received  in  Alexandria,  on  Monday,  whither  I  went  to 
become  the  guardian  of  Nelly,  thereby  to  authorize  a 
license  for  your  nuptials  on  the  22d  of  next  months 
whei^  I  presume,  if  your  health  is  restored,  there  will  be 
no  impediment  to  your  union.* 

.  **The  letters  herewith  sent  were  received  two  or  three 
days  ago ;  and  until  your  letter  of  the  above  date  came 
to  hand,  I  knew  not  with  certainty  to  what  place  to 
direct  them.  They  are  put  xmder  cover  to  your  brother 
of  Fredericksburgh,  to  await  your  arrival  at  that  place. 

^I  enclose  the  one  to  your  lieutenant,  Mr.  Lawrence 
Washington,  for  safety,  and  because  it  may  be  necessary 
that  you  should  have  a  conference  with  him  respecting 
the  plan  for  recruiting  your  troops  when  the  order  and 
the  means  for  doing  so  are  received.  All,  however,  that 
you,  Washington,  and  Custis,  have  to  do  at  present,  is 
simply  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  the  letter  from  the 

*  The  following  letter,  anthorizing  the  license,  is  copied  from  the  original,  which 
it  addressed  "  To  Captain  Qeorge  Deneale,  clerk  of  Fair&z  county  court :" — 

"Mount  Vebhom,  \9th  FA.  1799. 
"  Sis  :  Yon  will  please  to  grant  a  license  for  the  marriage  of  Eleanor  Parke 
Costis  with  Lawrence  Lewis,  and  this  shall  be  your  authority  for  so  doing. 
"From  sir, 
"  WUnets,  "  Your  yeiy  humble  servant, 

"Thomas  Pktbb.  "6.  Washinotov. 

"GSOBOB  W.  P.  CUSTIS." 


46  wama  09  . 

secretary  of  war^  to  inform  him  whether  you  do,  or  do 
not  accept  the  appointment^  and  in  either  case  to  request 
him  to  thank  the  president  for  the  honor  he  has  con- 
ferred on  you  in  making  ii^  Perhaps,  as  this  acknowl- 
edgment will  not  be  as  prompt  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected from  you  and  Gustis  (for  it  was  supposed  that 
both  of  you  were  to  be  found  at  Mount  Vernon),  it 
would  not  be  amiss  if  you  were  to  add,  that  being  on  an 
excursion  into  the  upper  country  is  the  cause  of  it.  AU 
here,  as  I  presume  you  will  learn  &om  a  more  pleasing 
pen,  are  weU;  I  therefore  shall  only  add,  that  I  am,  dear 
sir,  your  sincere  Mend  and  affectionate  uncle, 

^GeO.  WASfflNGTOir. 
"Mr.  La.w.  Lewis." 

A  few  months  after  this,  Washington  wrote  to  his 
nephew,  as  follows,  in  reply  to  a  letter  firom  the  yoimg 
husband  concerning  a  portion  of  the  Mount  Yemon  es- 
tate. Little  did  any  of  the  parties  then  suppose,  that  in 
less  than  three  months,  the  hand  that  panned  this  letter 
would  be  paralyzed  by  death,  and  that  the  will  written 
by  that  hand,  would  so  soon  call  for  executors : — 

"Mount  Vebnon,  20th  September^  1799. 

^  Djbab  Sir  :  Prom  the  moment  Mrs.  Washington  and 
myself  adopted  the  two  youngest  children  of  the  late 

*  When,  in  the  Bununer  of  1798,  long-pending  difficnlttes  with  France  seemed  to 
be  tending  toward  speedy  war,  the  Congress  authorized  quite  a  huge  standing  army, 
and  appointed  Washington  commander-in-chief,  with  General  Alexander  HamiiMn 
as  his  fltst  Ueatenant  Washington  consented  to  aooqpt  the  i^pointment,  <mlj  on 
condition  that  General  Hamilton  should  be  acting  commander-in-chief,  unless  cir- 
euBStanoet  should  make  it  necessary  for  the  retired  president  to  take  the  field. 
Many  young  men,  especially  of  fiuniUes  of  levokitioBaiy  Teterans,  aspired  to  mili- 
tary honors  at  this  time.  Among  others  who  received  commissions,  were  those  al- 
luded to  in  this  letter,  namely,  Lawrence  Lewis,  Lawrence  Washington,  and  €(eocge 
Washmgton  Paike  Gustis.  They  were  never  called  to  the  field,  as  die  storm  of  war 
passed  by  without  bursting  upon  the  land. 


6E0BGE  WA^HINQTON  ^ARES   CUSTIS.  47 

•Mr.  Custis^  it  became  my  intention  (if  ihey  smrived  me 
and  conducted  themselveB  to  my  satisfaction)  to  con- 
sider them  in  my  will  when  I  was  about  to  make  a  dis- 
tribution of  my  property.  This  determination  has  un- 
dergone no  diminution,  but  is  strengthened  by  the  con- 
nection one  of  them  has  formed  with  my  family. 

^  The  expense  at  which  I  live,  and  the  unproductive- 
ness of  my  estate,  will  not  allow  me  to  lessen  my  income 
while  I  remain  in  my  present  situation.  On  the  con- 
trary, were  it  not  for  occasional  supplies  of  money  in 
payment  for  lands  sold  within  the  last  four  or  five  years, 
to  the  amoimt  of  upwards  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  I 
diould  not  be  able  to  support  the  former  without  in- 
volving myself  in  debt  and  difficulties. 

^  But  as  it  has  been  understood  from  expressions  occar 
sionally  dropped  from  Nelly  Custis,  now  your  wife,  that 
it  is  the  wish  of  you  both  to  settle  in  this  neighborhood, 
contiguous  to  her  friends,  and  as  it  would  be  inexpedient, 
as  well  as  expensive,  for  you  to  make  a  purchase  of  land, 
when  a  measure  which  is  in  contemplation  would  place 
you  on  more  eligible  groimd,  I  shall  inform  you,  that  in 
the  will  which  I  have  made,  which  I  have  by  me,  and  have 
no  disposition  to  alter,  that  the  part  of  my  Moimt  Vernon 
tract,  which  lies  north  of  the  public  road  leading  from  the 
Gum  spring  to  Colchester,  containing  about  two  thousand 
acres,  with  the  Dogue-river  farm,  mill,  and  distillery,  I 
have  left  you.  Gray's  heights  is  bequeathed  to  you  and 
her  jointly,  if  you  incline  to  build  on  it,  and  few  better 
ntes  for  a  house  than  Gray's  hill  and  that  range,  are  to 
be  found  in  this  country  or  elsewhere. 

*You  may  also  have  what  is  properly  Dogue-run 
&rm,  the  mill,  and  distillery,  on  a  just  and  equitable 


48  MEMOm  OF 

rent;  as  also  the  lands  belonging  thereto,  on  a  reason- 
able hire,  either  next  year  or  the  year  following,  it  being 
necessary,  in  my  opinion,  that  a  young  man  should  have 
objects  of  employment.  Idleness  is  disreputable  imder 
any  circumstances,  productive  of  no  good,  even  when 
unaccompanied  by  vicious  habits,  and  you  might  com- 
mence building  as  soon  as  you  please,  during  the  progress 
of  which  Mount  Vernon  might  be  made  your  home. 

^^  You  may  conceive,  that  building  before  you  have  an 
absolute  title  to  the  land  is  hazardous.  To  obviate  this, 
I  shall  only  remark,  that  it  is  not  likely  any  occurrence 
will  happen,  or  any  change  take  place  that  would  alter 
my  present  intention  (if  the  conduct  of  yourself  and  wife 
is  such  as  to  merit  a  continuance  of  it) ;  but  be  this  as  it 
may,  that  you  may  proceed  on  sure  ground  with  respect 
to  the  buildings,  I  will  agree,  and  this  letter  shall  be  an 
evidence  of  it,  that  if  hereafter  I  should  find  cause  to 
make  any  other  disposition  of  the  property  here  men- 
tioned, I  will  pay  the  actual  cost  of  such  buildings  to 
you  or  yours. 

^  Although  I  have  not  the  most  distant  idea  that  any 
event  will  happen  that  could  effect  a  change  in  my 
present  determination,  nor  any  suspicions  that  you  or 
Nelly  could  conduct  yourselves  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
incur  my  serious  displeasure,  yet,  at  the  same  time,  that 
I  am  inclined  to  do  justice  to  others,  it  behooves  me  to 
take  care  of  myself,  by  keeping  the  staff  in  my  own 
hands. 

^  That  you  may  have  a  more  perfect  idea  of  the  landed 
property  I  have  bequeathed  to  you  and  Nelly  in  my  will, 
I  transmit  a  plan  of  it,  every  part  of  which  is  correctly 
laid  down  and  accurately  measured,  showing  the  number 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PARKE  GUSTIS.  49 

of  fields,  lots,  meadows,  &c^  with  the  contents,  and  rela- 
tive situation  of  each,  all  of  which,  except  the  mill  and 
swamp,  which  has  never  been  considered  as  a  part  of 
Dogue-run  farm,  and  is  retained  merely  for  the  purpose 
of  putting  it  into  a  better  state  of  improvement,  you  may 
have  on  the  terms  before-mentioned.  With  every  kiod 
wish  for  you  and  Nelly,  in  which  your  aunt,  who  is  still 
much  indisposed,  unites, 

^  I  remain  your  aflFectionate  uncle, 

"Geo.  Washington. 
"Mr.  Lawbenoe  Lbwis." 

"Mount  Vernon,  28^  September,  1799. 
"  My  DEAR  Sm :  The  enclosed  letter  was  written  agree- 
ably to  date,  and  sent  to  the  postoffice  in  Alexandria, 
but  owing  to  an  accident  it  missed  the  western  mail,  and 
was  returned  to  me,  since  which,  Mr.  Anderson,*  in  part- 
nership with  his  son,  John,  has  discovered  an  inclination 
to  rent  my  distillery  and  mill.  I  am  disposed  to  let  them 
become  the  tenants,  provided  they  will  give  a  reasonable 
rent,  and  matters  in  other  respects  can  be  adjusted.  The 
reasons  are,  that  although  Mr.  Anderson  is,  in  my  opinion, 
an  honest,  sober,  and  industrious  man,  understands  the 
management  of  the  plough  and  the  harrow,  and  how  to 
make  meadows,  yet  he  is  not  a  man  of  arrangement;  he 
wants  system  and  foresight  in  conducting  the  business  ta 
advantage,  is  no  economist  in  providing  things,  and  takes 
little  care  of  them  when  provided — when,  to  these  de- 
fects in  his  character,  are  added,  his  acting  too  much 
from  ihe  impulse  of  the  moment  (which  occasions  too 
much  doing  and  undoing),  and  his  high  wages  and  emolu- 
ments, I  have  no  hesitation  in  declaring,  that  it  is  my 

«  Washington's  steward. 
4 


50  MEMOIR  OF 

wish  to  place  my  estate  in  this  county  on  a  new  estab- 
lishment^ thereby  bringing  it  into  so  narrow  a  compass 
BB  not  only  to  supersede  the  necessity  of  a  manager^  but 
to  make  £he  management  of  what  I  retain  in  my  own 
hands  a  healthy  and  agreeable  amusement  to  look  after 
myself,  if  I  should  not  be  again  called  in  the  public  ser- 
vice of  the  country.  As  the  old  man  is  extremely 
obliging  and  zealous  in  my  service,  I  am  xmwilUng,  by 
any  act  of  mine  to  hurt  his  feelings,  or  by  discarding 
him  to  lessen  his  respectability  in  the  eyes  of  the  public, 
but  if  it  shoidd  appear  to  be  his  own  act^  both  om*  ends 
would  be  answered.  I  should  be  lessened  so  much  of  my 
general  concerns,  and  if  you  take  the  Dogue-run  farm 
(by  odds  the  best  and  most  productive  I  possess),  I  can, 
if  I  remain  quiet  at  home,  with  great  ease  attend  to  the 
other  three  and  the  mansion-house,  and  thereby  ease  my- 
self of  the  expense  of  a  manager.  You  will  perceive  by 
my  letter  of  the  20th,  herewith  enclosed,  that  the  lands 
therein  mentioned  are  given  for  the  express  purpose  of 
accommodating  you  in  a  building  site,  in  which  case  I 
did  not  nor  do  I  now  see  how  you  could  do  without  the 
farm,  which  is  part  of  the  premises,  or  the  hands  thereon; 
and  were  it  not  for  the  reasons  which  apply  to  Mr. 
Anderson,  the  mill  and  distillery  ought  to  accompany  it 
as  part  of  the  same  concern.  I  shall  not  go  more  into 
details  at  this  time,  as  I  hear  from  a  letter  to  Nelly  that 
you* may  be  expected  shortly.  Mr.  Anderson,  after  I 
had  written  my  letter  of  the  20th,  hinted  his  desire  of 
renting  from  me,  and  was  informed  I  had  made  the  offer 
to  you,  and  until  I  received  your  answer  I  could  say 
nothing  deiSnitely  to  him  on  the  subject,  and  so  the 
matter  remains.     Mrs.  Washington  has  not  recovered 


OEORGE  WASHINGTON  PAKEE  CUSTIS.  61 

her  health,  on  the  contrary,  is  at  this  time  weak  and  low. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  (now  here)  and  their  children  are 

well    We  all  unite  in  best  wishes  for  you,  Nelly,  and 

Mr.  Carter's  family.    Yom*  affectionate  uncle,* 

"George  WAsmNoroN. 
•«Mr.  Lawrence  Lewis." 

We  have  again  been  led  into  a  digression  on  a  relative 
subject  Let  us  now  pursue  the  Memoir  to  its  termina- 
tion, without  further  interruption. 

Before  he  had  reached  his  eighteenth  year,  young 

Custis  was  appointed  a  comet  of  horse  in  the  army,  as 

appears  by  the  following  letter  from  the  secretary  of 

war: — 

**Wab  Department,  January  10«A,  1799. 

''Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you,  that  the  presi- 
dent, by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  senate, 
has  appointed  you  a  comet  in  the  araay  of  the  United 
States. 

*^  You  are  requested  to  inform  me  as  soon  as  conven- 
ientj  whether  you  accept  or  not  the  appointment,  that  I 
may  notify  the  same  to  the  president. 

^  To  obviate  misconception,  it  is  proper  to  mention, 
that  a  want  of  materials  having  prevented  a  complete 
nomination  and  appointment  of  the  whole  number  of 
officers  for  the  troops  to  be  raised,  the  president  has 
thought  it  advisable  to  reserve  the  subject  of  their  rela- 
tive rank  for  further  arrangement 

^1  am,  sir,  with  respect,  yom*  obedient  servant, 

James  M^Henrt. 
«*Mr.  George  W.  P.  Custis." 

Mr.  Custis  was  soon  afterward  promoted  to  the  posi- 
tion of  aid-de-camp  to  General  Charles  Cotesworth  Pinck 


52  MEMOm  OF 

neyy  of  South  Carolina,  with  the  rank  of  colonel.  But 
he  was  never  called  into  active  service;  and  a  few 
months  afterward  he  was  sorely  bereaved  by  the  death 
of  his  illuftrious  foster-father.  That  event  occurred  on 
the  fourteenth  of  December,  1799,  and  the  adopted  son 
became  a  prospective  executor  of  that  great  man's  will.* 
Mount  Vernon  continued  to  be  his  home  until  after  the 
death  of  his  grandmother,  when  he  commenced  the  erec- 
tion of  a  beautifid  mansion  at  Arlington,  an  estate  of  a 
thousand  acres,  left  him  by  his  father,  and  lying  upon 
the  west  side  of  the  Potomac,  opposite  Washington  city. 
There  he  resided  until  his  death.  It  is  a  most  lovely 
spot,  overlooking  the  Potomac ;  and  from  the  noble  por- 
tico, that  adorns  its  front,  so  conspicuous  from  every 
point  of  the  federal  city  and  its  vicinity,  he  saw  that  city 
grow  into  its  present  grand  proportions,  from  a  humble 
and  iminteresting  village. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-three,  Mr.  Custis  married  Mary 
Lee  Fitzhugh,  a  lady  whose  many  virtues  endeared 
her  to  all  who  came  within  the  circles  of  her  in- 
fluence, and  who  will  ever  live  in  the  memory  of  her 
friends.  While  the  pen  of  filial  affection  may  not 
be  trusted   in  delineating  a  character  so  beloved,  it 

*  In  the  last  clause  of  his  will,  WashiDgton  said :  "  I  constitute  and  appoint  my 
dearly  beloved  wife,  Martha  Washington,  my  nephews,  William  Augustine  Washing- 
ton, Bushroil  Washington,  George  Steptoe  Washington,  Samuel  Washington,  and 
Lawrence  Lewis,  and  my  ward,  George  Washington  Parke  Custis  (when  he  shall 
have  arrived  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years),  executrix  and  executors  of  this  my 
last  Will  and  Testament."  The  will  was  signed  and  sealed  on  the  ninth  of  July, 
1799.  In  it  was  the  following  clause :  "I  give  and  bequeath  to  George  Washing- 
ton Parke  Custis,  the  grandson  of  my  wife,  and  my  ward,  and  to  his  heirs,  the  tract 
I  hold  on  Four-mile  run,  in  the  vicinity  of  Alexandria,  containing  one  thousand  and 
two  hundred  acres,  more  or  less,  and  my  entire  square,  No.  21,  in  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington." 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PARKE  CU8TIS.  63 

may  be  pardoned  for  transcribing  the  following  testi- 
mony of  a  friend : — 

*•  To  the  Editors  of  the  National  Intelligencer : 

"  Savannah,  Majf  16, 1853. 

^  Gentlemen  :  Allow  me  from  this  distant  city  to  place 
an  humble  wreath,  bedewed  with  many  tears,  on  the 
grave  of  the  best  of  iBriends.  Since  no  one  living  could 
do  justice  to  the  character  of  that  eminent  lady,  whose 
decease  has  spread  the  gloom  of  night  through  all  the 
halls  of  Arlington,  tremblingly  I  shrink  from  the  at- 
tempt to  recall  and  trace  out,  even  faintly,  that  most  rare 
combination  of  virtues  and  graces  which,  as  no  modesty 
or  humility  could  conceal,  no  language  can  adequately 
portray. 

^  Happy  in  her  descent  from  the  union  of  Fitzhugh, 
of  Chatham  (the  friend  of  Washington),  a  gentleman 
unsurpassed  for  dignity  and  courtesy  of  manners  by 
any  who  enjoyed  the  society  of  Mount  Vernon,  with 
one  of  the  most  beautiful,  accomplished,  and  religious 
ladies  that  ever  bore  the  name  of  Randolph,  all  the  in- 
structions and  associations,  the  habits  and  studies  of  her 
childhood  and  youth,  were  suited  to  nurture  those  just 
principles  and  pure  and  generous  sentiments  which  ever 
pervaded  and  adorned  her  entire  character.  Early  al- 
lied by  marriage  to  a  gentleman  bred  up  in  Mount  Ver- 
non while  the  spot  was  the  home  of  the  father  of  his 
country — a  gentleman  whose  genius,  taste,  eloquence, 
and  courtesy,  have  attracted  multitudes  from  this  and  far 
distant  lands  to  that  mansion,  where,  alas,  he  now  sits  in 
sorrow  and  darkness — she  dedicated  herself  to  those 
gentle  ofl&ces,  quiet  duties,  and  daily  graceful  ministries 
of  love,  so  becoming  to  her  station  and  her  sex. 


54  MEMOIB  OF 

^  Those  who  best  knew  this  lamented  lady  will  testify 
to  a  charming  simplicity  and  sincerity,  expressed  in  her 
aspect^  manners,  and  conversation,  blended  with  a  ma- 
jesty of  goodness  far  surpassing  the  fairest  creations  of 
the  painters  or  the  poet's  art  Her  clear  and  compre- 
hensive reason,  ever  submissive  as  a  child  to  the  teach- 
ings of  its  Author;  her  integrity  never  wavering  and 
without  guile ;  the  purity  of  all  her  motives  and  affec- 
tions ;  the  energy  of  piurpose  with  which  she  applied 
herself  to  duty,  and  that  constant  cheerfulness  which 
made  to  her  all  duty  pleasure,  rendered  her  judgment 
on  all  moral  questions  well-nigh  infallible,  and  gave  se- 
renity, consistency,  and  incomparable  beauty  to  her  life. 
For  a  period  of  thirty  years  the  writer  recollects  no  in- 
stance in  which  this  distinguished  Christian  lady  erred 
in  judgment  on  any  question  of  taste,  propriety,  or  duty: 
Her  example  was  a  lights  never  declining,  and  never 
eclipsed,  which  the  wise  could  not  hesitate  to  follow,  nor 
less  serious  observers  to  feel  and  admire.  She  was  fa- 
miliarly acquainted  with  the  best  English  literature,  and 
read  much,  though  very  careful  to  select  works  of  un- 
blemished and  established  reputation,  and  confining  her- 
self mainly,  toward  the  close  of  her  life,  to  books  on 
practical  religion  and  to  Christian  biography.  But  infi- 
nitely beyond  all  the  writings  of  men  she  valued  the 
word  of  God.  This  was  her  daily  companion,  study,  and 
guide,  and  in  the  law  of  God  was  her  meditation  and 
delight  all  the  day.  She  had  a  remarkably  quick  per- 
ception of  beauty  and  sublimity  in  composition,  art,  or 
nature ;  and  whenever  she  discerned  these  qualities,  joy 
lighted  up  her  countenance  with  a  radiance  pure  and 
gentle  as  that  shed  'through  the  wmdows  of  a  cathedral 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PARKE  CUSTIS.  55 

from  holy  fire  upon  its  altar.  No  member  of  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  churchy  was  more  ardently  attached  to 
its  solemn  worship  and  communion^  while  she  embraced 
in  her  afiectionate  regards  the  whole  company  of  Christ's 
disciples,  never  doubting  the  unity  of  his  kingdom,  or  that 
to  his  church  there  is  but  one  Head,  and  though  many 
members,  but  one  Body. 

^  Precious  to  her  were  all  the  services  of  the  sanctu- 
ary. She  loved  its  very  gates;  she  entered  them  with  joy 
and  thanksgiving ;  her  soul  was  filled  with  reverence  of 
the  heavenly  King  in  those  sacred  courts  where  his 
honor  dwelleth.  What  disciple  present  with  her  in  the 
house  of  God,  what  casual  observer,  what  stranger,  what 
child  has  not  been  instructed,  felt  his  sold  warmed  by 
the  manner,  the  fervor  of  her  heart-penetrating  devo- 
tion? 

^  But  how  can  I  speak  of  her  as  she  shone  at  home, 
and  in  the  midst  of  her  family  and  fiiends  ?  She  was  a 
guardian-angel  to  the  objects  of  her  love,  and  when  she 
left  them  it  was  like  the  going  down  of  the  sun  for  ever. 
Joy  was  turned  into  heaviness,  and  songs  into  the  voice 
of  them  that  weep.  The  fresh  flowers  of  spring  seemed 
to  loose  their  fragrance,  to  fade  and  become  withered 
when  ceased  that  beautiful  life,  more  fragrant  even  in 
memory  than  the  roses  or  precious  odors,  gums  and 
spices  of  Cashmere,  Ceylon,  or  ^  Araby  the  blest'  Though 
her  life  was  not  short,  as  was  said  by  Atterbury  of  Lady 
Cutts,  ^her  death  was  sudden;  she  was  called  in  haste 
and  without  any  warning ;  one  day  she  drooped  and  the 
next  she  died ;  nor  was  there  the  difference  of  many 
hours  between  her  being  very  easy  in  this  world  and 
very  happy  in  another.'    Her  duties  all  discharged,  the 


56  MEMOm   OF 

cause  of  benevolence  and  religion^  aided  by  habitual  and 
generous  gifts  and  earnest  prayers,  her  work  all  well 
done,  her  lamps  well  trimmed  and  brightly  burning,  she 
obeyed  the  summons.  Truly  was  it  said  in  that  great 
hour,  a  ^  pm'er  spirit  never  left  this  world  for  the  man- 
sions of  heaven/ 

"A  volume  would  be  insufficient  to  describe  those  in- 
numerable acts  of  courtesy,  kindness,  and  beneficence 
which  adorned  and  enobled  the  life  of  Mrs.  Custis ;  a  life 
retired  from  general  observation,  but  widely  extended 
in  the  power  of  its  influence,  and,  as  we  doubt  not,  in 
the  importance  of  its  results.  We  have  read  of  Lady 
Russell,  the  magnanimous  daughter  of  the  good  Earl  of 
Southampton;  of  Mrs.  Eamsay,  the  devout  and  judicious 
companion  of  the  historian  of  South  Carolina ;  we  have 
admired  the  fortitude  and  genius  of  Madame  Roland; 
the  mystical  but  sublime  piety  of  Madame  Guion,  the 
charming  grace  and  tenderness  of  Klopstock's  wife,  and 
many  other  touching  portraits  of  female  excellence; 
but  in  all  the  elements  of  a  character  to  be  loved, 
trusted,  and  imitated,  a  character  to  grow  brighter  by 
study  and  time,  to  be  handed  down  with  increasing  hon- 
ors to  future  ages,  and  stand  in  serene  beauty  among 
the  ruins  of  the  world,  we  find  none  in  the  annals  of 
female  biography  to  surpass  that  of  her  on  whose  dust 
we  lay  this  poor  ofiering  of  a  sad  but  gratefid  heart"* 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Custis  had  four  children,  all  daughters, 
only  one  of  whom  (Mary  Custis,  wife  of  Colonel  Robert 
E  Lee  of  the  United  States  army)  survived  the  period 
of  infancy.  Upon  her  the  fondest  affections  of  both 
parents  were   centred.      From   her  father  she  never 

*  Mn.  CnstU  died  at  Arlington  on  the  2dd  of  April,  1853. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PARKE   CUSTIS.  57 

received  an  unkind  word.  He  was  endowed  with  an 
even  temper  and  remarkably  buoyant  spirit ;  and  tow- 
ard his  family,  his  servants,  his  friends,  and  the  world, 
there  was  a  constant  outflow  of  kindly  feeling  from  his 
warm  and  generous  heart 

Identifying  himself  with  the  past,  through  the  power 
of  strong  association,  he  scarcely  seemed  to  live  in  the 
present,  though  deeply  interested  in  the  current  events 
of  the  day.  He  exercised  an  unbounded  hospltability, 
and  loved  to  pour  forth  to  his  delighted  auditors  the 
treasures  of  his  richly-stored  mind  and  wonderful  mem- 
ory. He  had  a  happy  faculty  for  expressing  his  thoughts 
by  both  pen  and  voice ;  and  this  was  exercised  at  a  very 
early  period  of  his  life,  as  is  indicated  in  the  following 
letter  from  the  eminent  General  Henry  Lee,  of  the  revo- 
lution, written  to  him  early  in  the  year  1800,  when 
young  Custis  was  not  quite  nineteen  years  of  age : — 

"PmLAD'A,  leFeby 
"  Dear  Sir  :  Your  polite  note,  accompanying  your  feel- 
ing address  to  the  youth  of  America,  was  duly  received. 
The  perusal  gave  me  much  pleasure. 

^  The  sentiments  which  it  breathes  do  honor  to  your 
heart ;  and  I  ardently  pray  a  similar  spirit  may  pervade 
the  rising  generation  throughout  these  states. 

^  I  wished  to  have  sent  the  paper  to  the  press  here ; 
but,  referring  to  your  letter,  I  find  no  permission  of  that 
sort,  and  therefore  have  confined  my  communication  of 
it  to  my  own  circle.     With  best  wishes  for  your  welfare, 

I  am  your  friend  and  obt  servant, 

"Henry  Lee." 

The  address  alluded  to  was  on  the  subject  of  the  death 


58  MEMOIB  OF 

of  Washington,  and  its  eulogist  had  recently  pronounced 
an  admirable  oration  on  the  same  subject^  before  the  fed- 
eral Congress,  by  invitation  of  that  body. 

Possessed  of  a  quick  and  lively  imagination,  Mr.  Custis 
sometimes  employed  a  leisure  hour  in  penning  poetic 
effusions ;  and  on  several  occasions,  at  the  earnest  solici- 
tations of  friends,  he  composed  dramas,  to  be  acted  for  a 
specific  purpose.  The  following  letter  to  his  wife,  jn  re- 
lation to  one  of  these  efibrte,  exhibits  in  a  remarkable 
manner  the  facility  with  which  he  could  put  his  thoughts 
into  shape;  and  also  the  kindness  of  his  nature.  His 
wife  was  then  on  a  visit  to  the  family  of  the  now  vener- 
able Bishop  Meade : — 

"Arlwgton,  12  Septy,  1833. 

*^My  Dearest  Wife:  Your  letter  has  been  received, 
giving  an  accoimt  of  your  pleasurable  trip  through  Fau- 
quier, and  safe  arrival  among  your  friends  in  Frederick. 
Your  account  of  the  appearance  of  the  venerable  Chief- 
Justice  Marshall  is  particularly  interesting.  If  you  had 
written  a  little  more  in  detail,  I  would  have  composed  a 
fragment  upon  it,  entitled  ^A  Scene  in  Fauquier'  Dear, 
glorious  old  man!  I  wish  he  could  lay  his  patriarchal 
hands  upon  our  boy,  and  bless  him.  You  know  Lafay- 
ette's triumph  in  this  country  is  attributed  to  his  having 
received  a  blessing  from  the  *  mother/  on  his  departure, 
m  1784. 

"  I  shall  hear  from  my  dear  Mary  and  her  boy  to-day, 
and,  if  there  is  anything  to  communicate,  I  will  write 
again  in  a  day  or  two.  K  you  do  not  hear  from  me  in 
quick  time,  you  may  conclude  all  are  well 

^  Kemember  me  kindly  and  afiectionately  to  the  good 
bishop,  and  the  excellent  people  around  you-    Health 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PARKE  CUSTIS.  69 

attend  you,  dearest  wife !    Happiness  I  know  you  have 
wherever  you  are. 
^  Write  often,  and  believe  me  always  yours,  &c., 

«G.  W.  P.  Cusm 

<*P.  S. — I  have  made  a  great  mental  effort  lately,  but 
I  am  sure  you  and  the  bishop  will  think  my  energies 
might  have  been  better  employed.  I  had  promised  the 
poor  rogues  of  actors  a  play  for  the  12th  Sept.,  the  anni- 
versary of  the  battle  of  North  Point ;  but,  finding  myself 
not  in  the  veiny  I  wrote  to  them  to  defer  it  On  Monday, 
9th,  the  manager  came  on  from  Baltimore,  and  entreated 
me  to  prepare  something  for  the  12th,  as  it  would  put 
six  or  seven  hundred  dollars  in  his  pocket.  On  Monday 
not  a  line  was  finished.  At  five  o'clock  I  commenced, 
and  wrote  until  twelve ;  rose  the  next  morning  at  five, 
and  by  seven  sent  off  by  the  stages  a  two-act  piece,  with 
two  songs  and  a  finale,  called  North  Pointy  or  Baltimore 
Defended^  the  whole  completed  in  nine  hours.  It  is  to 
be  played  to-night.  To-morrow  I  shall  hear  of  its  suc- 
cess. 

^The  principal  female  character  is  called  Marietta; 
runs  away  from  her  father,  disguised  as  a  rifle-boy,  &c.,  &c. 

"To  Mrs.  M.  L.  Custis, 

^  Mountain  View,  near  Millwood, 

"  Frederick  county,  Virginia." 

Mr.  Custis's  private  correspondence  was  written  with 
much  ease  and  grace,  and  always  manifested  the  vivacity 
of  his  temperament.  His  letters  to  his  family  are  of  a 
character  so  purely  domestic,  that  they  would  have  no 
interest  to  the  public.  The  following,  having  relation  to 
another  of  his  literary  productions  (which  appears  among 
the  Re€oUections\  may  with  propriety  be  introduced  here : 


60  MEMOm  OF 

"Arlington,  19th  July,  1838. 

^  My  Dearest  Wife  and  Daughter  :  Your  letter  arrived 
yesterday.  It  is  not  in  my  power  to  go  down  to-day ; 
but  if  nothing  occurs,  and  you  remain  in  your  present 
mind,  I  will  go  in  the  next  boat  for  you,  though  I  can 
only  remain  until  the  following  Wednesday.  God  knows 
I  can  be  nowhere  happier  than  with  my  dear  children 
and  precious  grandson ;  and,  again,  the  garrison  and  mili- 
tary matters,  the  sea-prospect,  vessels,  &c.,  all  conspire  to 
make  a  sojourn  at  the  Point  a  most  pleasurable  thing  to 
me ;  but  a  hard  necessity  compels  me  to  the  constant  su- 
perintendence of  my  affairs  at  home.  I  hope  another 
year,  if  I  make  a  tolerable  sale  of  my  lands  in  Stafford 
and  Westmoreland,  to  be  more  prosperous. 

^  I  have  been  requested  to  write  a  short  biography  of 
my  grandmother,  to  be  accompanied  by  a  splendid  en- 
graving from  one  of  my  originals,  for  Longacre's  work, 
called  The  National'  GaMery  of  PortrmtSj  and  have  consent- 
ed to  do  it.  I  have  written  nothing  and  painted  scarcely 
anything,  but  have  read  all  the  time.  I  have  not  been 
on  my  farm ;  go  to  bed  exactly  at  ten,  rise  at  six,  break- 
fast at  seven,  and  dine  at  two.  I  find  myself  often  call- 
ing that  darling  boy  in  my  reveries.  Give  him  grandpa's 
kiss  and  blessing ;  and  that  God  may  bless  you  all,  prays 
your  husband  and  father,  •  G.  W.  P.  Custis. 

"To  Mrs.  M.  L.  Custis, 

"  Old  Point  Comfort,  Virginia. 

^^P.  S. — My  Puss  has  returned,  sadly  beaten  by  wild- 
cats." 

Mr.  Custis's  talent  for  oratory  was  brilliant ;  and,  had 
due  attention  been  paid  to  its  cultivation,  he  would  doubt- 
less have  ranked  among  the  first  in  the  land.      His 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PARKE  CUSTIS.  61 

speeches,  upon  many  occasions^  would  fill  a  volume. 
One  of  the  earliest  of  those  which  have  been  preserved, 
was  on  the  occasion  of  the  ftmeral  solemnities  held  at 
Georgetown,  ill  the  District  of  Columbia,  on  the  first  of 
September,  1812,  in  honor  of  General  James  M.  Lingan, 
a  worthy  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  who  was  killed  by  a 
political  mob,  in  Baltimore,  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  July, 
1812.  This  funeral  oration  was  extemporaneous.*  Of  it 
a  contemporary  said:  "It  riveted  the  attention  of  the 
audience.  The  solemn  stillness  which  reigned  was  only 
interrupted  by  sighs  and  tears.  We  can  compare  the 
eloquence  of  Mr.  Custis  with  nothing  but  the  supposed 
eloquence  of  antiquity.  His  words  possess  the  fire  of 
Demosthenes,  and  his  actions  the  grace  of  Cicero.  Old 
warriors,  who  had  almost  forgotten  how  to  weep,  felt  the 
stream  of  sympathy  stealing  down  their  furrowed  cheeks, 
while  their  deep,  scarred  breasts  heaved  with  convulsive 
sobs.     Every  period  glowed  with  inspiration." 

Not  long  after  this  (fifth  of  June,  1813),  he  was  called 
to  address  a  large  audience  at  Georgetown,  assembled  to 
celebrate  the  then  recent  Russian  victories  over  Napo- 
leon.-J-  In  that  address  Mr.  Custis  displayed,  according  to 
his  contemporaries,  some  of  the  most  noble  characteris- 
tics of  true  oratory ;  and  it  drew  from  the  Russian  min- 
ister at  Washington  the  following  letter : — 

"  WAsmNGTON,  the  1th  June,  1813. 

^  Sm :  In  delivering  your  oration  on  the  occasion  of 
the  celebration  of  the  Russian  victories,  you  have  been 
guided  by  the  motives  of  an  enlightened  and  indepen- 
dent patriot.  The  subject  of  it  could  not  fail  to  be  high- 
ly interesting  to  every  friend  of  humanity  and  virtue ; 
and  you  must  have  been  highly  gratified  on  perceiving 

*  See  Note  ii.,  p.  571.        t  See  Note  iii.,  p.  585. 


62  ifEMom  Of 

the  strong  impression  produced  upon  your  respectable 
audience  by  the  dignified,  touching,  and  eloquent  man- 
ner you  presented  it  to  their  minds.  You  succeeded  in 
making  them  fully  sympathize  with  the  distresses  of  my 
countrymen  who  have  so  bravely  stemmed  the  homicidal 
hurricane  raised  from  the  revolutionary  den  of  France, 
and  made  them  magnanimously  rejoice  with  us  for  hav- 
ing crushed  the  most  impious  attempt  against  our  na- 
tional independence.  You  may  imagine,  sir,  what  effect 
it  produced  upon  the  hearts  of  those  whose  cradles  have 
been  burned  with  their  beloved  Moscow,  and  whose  tears 
can  only  be  assuaged  by  their  enemy's  blood. 

"  Perynit  me  to  express  to  you  my  gratitude,  that  of 
my  family,  and  of  all  my  countrymen  who  shall  peruse 
your  oration,  for  the  zeal  and  interest  you  have  displayed 
in  our  cause ;  and  allow  me  to  send  you  a  small  medal, 
with  the  likeness  of  Alexander  the  First,  the  only  one 
which  is  now  in  my  possession.  I  can  not  give  you  a 
greater  token  of  the  value  I  set  on  your  acquaintance. 

*^  I  have  the  honor  to  be  with  the  most  sincere  and 
high  consideration, 

^  Sir,  your  very  hmnble  and  obedient  servant^ 

"A,  Daschkofp. 

*  P.  S. — Yo\x  would  confer  on  me  a  great  obligation,  if 
you  permit  me  to  take  a*  copy  of  your  oration  (should 
it  be  not  printed),  which  I  would  like  to  send  to  Russia 
by  the  first  favorable  opportunity." 

Mr.  Custis  was  often  called  upon  to  speak  in  public, 
at  every  period  of  his  life,  nor  did  age  seem  to  diminish 
the  ardor  of  his  feelings.  When  in  December,  1855,  the 
Amoskeag  Veterans   of  Manchester,  New  Hampshire, 


QEOBQE  WASHINGTON  PARKE  CUSTIS.  63 

joined  their  Burviving  companions  in  arms  during  the 
war  of  1812,  at  Washington  city,  Mr.  Custis  was  an 
honored  guest  among  them.  He  accompanied  them, 
and  a  large  concourse  of  citizens,  to  Mount  Vernon. 
The  whole  company  went  down  from  Washington  city 
in  steamers.  On  that  occasion,  Mr.  Custis  wore  the 
epaulette  which  Washington  placed  upon  his  shoulder 
in  1798,  as  a  comet  of  horse.  ^At  Alexandria,''  said 
the  Washington  Evening  Star^  ^  a  large  concourse  of  citi- 
zens assembled  who  listened  with  gratification  to  the 
stirring  strains  of  the  band.  Fort  Washington  was  soon 
reached,  and,  landing  to  the  tune  of  ^Yankee  Doodle,' 
the  party  took  possession  of  the  stronghold,  no  sentinel 
appearing  to  challenge  their  right. 

**As  the  boat  approached  the  wharf  at  Mount  Vernon, 
the  band  played  the  ^  Dead  March  in  Saul,'  but  on  land- 
ing, at  the  especial  request  of  Mr.  Custis,  the  solemn 
notes  were  changed  into  the  more  inspiring  ^  Washing- 
ton's Grand  March.'  Ascending  the  hill  the  long  column 
uncovered,  and  with  reverential  tread  passed  the  hal- 
lowed spot — 

^  *  Where  rest  the  ashes  of  the  noblest  man. 
That  ever  freeman  mourned  since  time  began ; 
Whose  loflj  virtues  in  no  age  surpassed, 
Have  blessed  our  own  age  tind  shall  bless  the  last.' 

**  Coimtermarching,  the  battalion  repaired  to  a  level 
space  near  the  tomb,  where  it  was  formed  in  hollow 
square,  and  ably  addressed  by  Colonel  Potter,  who  im- 
pressed on  every  mind  the  privilege  in  being  permitted 
to  gaze  on  the  sacred  place,  where  rest  the  remains  of 
him,  who  was  *  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the 
hearts  of  his  countrjonen.'     He  dwelt  upon  his  virtues, 


64  MEMOIR  OF 

remarking^  that  he  saw  ^no  north,  no  south,  no  east,  no 
west.'  He  concluded  by  introducing  the  only  siuriving 
member  of  the  Washington  family,  G.  W.  P.  Custis,  Esq. 

"  Loud  applause  greeted  Mr.  Custis,  who  was  listened 
to  with  deep  attention,  as  he  recalled  his  interesting  re- 
miniscences of  the  illustrious  owner  of  the  locality  near 
whose  last  resting-place  they  stood.  It  was  an  interest- 
ing scene  to  see  this  living  relic  of  the  past  surrounded 
by  the  veterans,  many  of  them  near  their  laat  campaign."* 

At  an  early  period  he  became  much  interested  in 
the  improvement  of  the  breed  of  sheep.  Colonel 
David  Humphreys,  American  minister  at  Madrid,  had 
recently  introduced  the  fine-wooled  Merino  sheep  into 
the  United  States.  Mr.  Custis  saw  the  great  advantages 
that  his  country  might  derive  from  the  cultivation  of 
fine  wool,  and  the  establishment  of  manufactories  of  cloth, 
and  in  1803  he  inaugurated  an  annual  convention  for 
the  promotion  of  agriculture  and  domestic  manufactures, 
known  throughout  the  country  by  the  title  of  "  Arlington 
Sheep-Shearing."  These  gatherings  were  at  Arlmgton 
spring,  a  large  fountain  of  living  waters  that  gushes  from 

*  There  is  no  copy  of  this  speech  to  be  found  among  the  papeni  of  Mr.  Casds.  It 
vm  doubtless  the  immediate  and  unpremeditated  outpourings  of  his  heart.  Colonel 
Potter,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Lossiog,  dated  January  10, 1859,  alluding  to  this  speech, 
says: — 

"  This  WAS  among  his  best,  if  not  the  very  best  of  his  public  speeches.  It  was  on 
on  interesting  occasion,  and  his  friends  called  it  his  happiest  effort.  I  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  battalion  of  'veterans,'  and  during  our  whole  march  from  Manchester, 
N.  H.,  to  Mount  Vernon,  when  the  best  speakers  were  in  requisition  at  Worcester, 
Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  Washington,  I  heard  no  speech  that  in  matter  and 
manner  equalled  his  in  true  eloquence.  Among  the  hundreds  present  there  was  not 
a  dry  eye.  Men  of  iron,  in  my  own  corps,  who  probably  had  never  wept  since  boy- 
hood, were  overcome,  and  shed  tears  like  boys,  the  drops  standing  upon  their  bronzed 
checks  like  dew  in  early  morning.  True,  the  time  and  place  had  its  effect,  but 
there  was  true  eloquence  in  the  speech  itself." 


GEORQE  WASHmaiON  PARKE  CUSTIB.  65 

beneath  the  shade  of  a  venerable  oak^  not  far  firom  the 
banks  of  the  Potomac.  There,  for  many  years,  on  the 
thirtieth  of  April,  the  annual  shearing  took  place.  A 
large  concourse  of  people  would  assemble  to  partici- 
pate in  or  witness  the  ceremonies.  Toasts  were  drank, 
speeches  were  made,  and  prizes,  provided  at  the  sole  ex- 
pense of  Mr.  Custis,  were  distributed  among  those  who 
presented  the  best  specimens  of  sheep  or  wool,  and  do- 
mestic manufactures.  These  were  the  first  prizes  ever 
offered  for  such  objects  in  America.  Under  the  great  war- 
tent  of  Washington,  yet  preserved  at  Arlington  house, 
many  of  the  noblest  men  of  the  land  have  assembled  on 
these  festivals,  when  they  and  the  entire  concourse  were 
entertained  in  a  most  generous  manner  by  the  host>  who 
usually  made  a  stirring  speech  appropriate  to  the  occasion. 
In  one  of  them  he  said,  prophetically :  ^  America  shall  be 
great  and  free,  and  minister  to  her  own  wants  by  the 
employment  of  her  own  resources.  The  citizen  of  my 
country  will  proudly  appear,  when  clothed  in  the  pro- 
duce of  his  native  soil."  It  must  be  remembered  that>  at 
that  time,  every  yard  of  broadcloth  worn  in  the  United 
States  was  imported  from  Europe. 

The  following  letters  to  Mr.  Custis,  from  Mr.  Madison 
(then  secretary  of  state,  and  soon  afterward  president  of 
the  United  States),  possess  an  interest  in  this  connec- 
tion:— 

*^Mr.  Madison  has  received  Mr.  Custis's  note  of  the 
30th  ultimo,  with  the  specimen  of  fine  wool  accompany- 
ing it  He  offers  for  himself  the  thanks  to  which  Mr. 
Custis  is  entitled,  from  all  his  fellow-citizens,  for  his  laud- 
able and  encouraging  efforts  to  increase  and  improve  an 
animal  which  contributes  a  material  so  precious  to  the 

5 


66  MEMOm  OF 

independent  comfort  and  prosperity  of  our  country. 
Mr.  Madison  wishes  that  Mr.  Custis  may  be  amply  grati- 
fied in  the  success  of  his  improving  experiments,  and 
that  his  patriotic  example  may  find  as  many  followers  as 
it  merits. 
«  Washinqton,  Auffust  2, 180T." 

^  I  have  been  duly  favored,  dear  sir,  with  yours  of  the 
7th.  NotAaving  taken  with  me  to  Virginia  a  sample  of 
the  Smith's  island  wool,  which  you  were  so  good  as  to 
furnish  me,  I  can  not  judge  of  its  merit  by  comparison 
with  the  fleeces  in  the  part  of  the  country  where  I  dwell. 
I  regret  it  the  more,  as  I  have  always  considered  them 
as  among  the  best  in  point  of  fineness,  though  not  of 
weighty  which  the  American  flocks  yield.  It  gives  me 
pleasure  to  find  your  attention  to  this  interesting  subject 
does  not  relax,  and  that  you  are  so  successfully  inviting 
to  it  other  public^pirited  gentlemen. 

"  I  remain^  sir,  with  great  respect  and  esteem, 

"  Your  most  obedient  humble  servant^ 

"James  Madison. 

«  WAsmNOTON,  October  10,  1807." 

The  beautiful  flock  of  fine  sheep  upon  the  Arlington 
farm  were  preyed  upon  by  thieves  and  dogs,  imtil  their 
number  was  reduced  to  two.  These,  in  the  language  of 
the  owner,  "long  ranged  over  the  hills  of  Arlington  in 
solitary  state.*'  Until  the  close  of  his  life,  Mr.  Custis 
took  great  interest  in  agricultural  affairs,  and  was  for 
several  years  previous  to  that  events  an  active  member, 
and  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the  United  States  Agri- 
cultural Society. 

In  the  war  of  1812,  he  served  as  a  volunteer  to 
oppose  the  British  when  they  penetrated  Marylandi 


GEOBGE  WASHINOTON  PARKE  CUSTI8.  67 

and  ascended  the  Potomac,  to  attack  Washington  city. 
He  would  never  accept  any  pay  for  his  services;  and 
while  assisting  the  veterans  of  that  war  in  prosecuting 
their  claims  upon  the  government,  he  withdrew  his  own. 

When  Lafayette  came  to  the  United  States,  in  1824, 
as  the  guest  of  the  nation,  Mr.  Custis  was  among  those 
who  met  him  at  the  federal  capital  as  a  personal  Mend. 
Trae,  his  recollection  of  the  illustrious  Frenchman,  while 
on  his  last  visit  to  Mount  Yemon  in  the  autumn  of  1784, 
was  dim  and  shadowy,  yet  the  son  of  that  hero  and  bene- 
&ctor,  who  now  accompanied  him,  and  who  bore  the  name 
of  Geo&qe  WAsmNGTON,  had  been  the  companion  of  his 
youthful  days  at  Mount  Vernon,  when  Lafayette  was  in 
exile.'*'  Mr.  Custis  spent  much  time  with  the  illustrious 
guest  at  Arlington  and  elsewhere.  At  the  tomb  of 
Washington,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  number  of  per- 
sons, he  presented  Lafayette  with  a  ring,  in  which  was 
some  of  the  hair  of  the  Pater  Patriae.  The  presentation 
was  accompanied  by  some  touching  remarks,  to  which 
La&yette  responded  in  the  most  feeling  manner.  An 
account  of  the  proceedings  on  that  occasion  may  be  found 
in  the  Appendix. 

After  the  departure  of  the   illustrious  guest  from 

•  The  following  letter  written  by  the  younger  Lafayette,  whUe  in  this  country,  to 
Jfr.  Cutis,  is  preserved  among  others,  at  Arlington : — 

"  Wabhinotoit  Citt,  January  the  third,  1825. 

"  Mt  deab  Custis  :  My  father  being  able  to  dispose  of  himself  on  Wednesday, 
will  do  himself  the  pleasure  of  going  that  day  to  dine  at  Arlington.  It  is  so  long  since 
I  wished  for  that  satis&ction  myself,  that  I  most  sincerely  rejoice  at  the  anticipation 
of  it.  You  know,  my  friend,  how  happy  I  was  when  we  met  at  Baltimore.  Since 
that  day,  I  felt  ereiy  day  more  and  more,  how  much  our  two  hearts  were  calculated 
to  understand  each  other.  Be  pleased,  my  dear  Custis,  to  present  my  respectful 
homage  to  the  ladies,  and  receire  for  yonnelf  the  expression  of  my  most  aifoctionate 
and  brotherly  sentiments. 

"  G.  W.  Lafatbttb." 


68  BfESfom  OF 

America,  Mr.  Custis  wrote  and  published  a  series  of 
most  entertaining  articles,  entitled,  Conversations  mth 
Lafayette,  It  was  at  that  time  that  he  conceived  the 
design  of  committing  to  paper  his  own  recollections  of 
the  private  life  of  Washington,  and  the  first  of  the  series 
was  published  in  the  National  Intelligencer  in  1826. 

One  of  the  principal  amusements  of  Mr.  Custis*s  later 
years,  was  painting  revolutionary  battle-scenes  in  which 
Washington  participated.  Upon  these  he  worked  witii 
the  greatest  enthusiasm.  Considering  the  circmnstances 
under  which  they  were  produced — painted  without  being 
first  composed  or  drawn  in  outline,  by  an  entirely  self- 
taught  hand  more  than  threescore  and  ten  years  old — 
they  are  remarkable.  In  general  conception  and  group- 
ing, they  are  spirited  and  original.  He  was  not  disposed 
to  devote  the  time  and  labor  requisite  to  their  careful 
execution,  and  therefore,  as  works  of  art  merely,  they 
have  but  little  merit  Their  chief  value  lies  in  their 
truthfulness  to  history  in  the  delineation  of  events,  inci- 
dents, and  costmnes.  They  are  all  at  Arlington,  six  in 
number,  namely,  battles  of  Trenton^  PrwceUm^  German- 
tounij  and  Momnovthj  WasMngtan  at  YorktQum,  and  the  /Swr- 
render  at  Yorktoum. 

For  some  weeks  previous  to  his  death,  Mr.  Custis  com- 
plained of  debility  and  depression  of  spirits ;  but  even 
then,  he  contemplated,  with  much  pleasure,  an  excursion 
to  the  great  West^  to  attend  the  agricultural  fair  at 
Louisville.  Unwillingly  was  he  compelled  to  relinquish 
this  design ;  and  only  for  four  days  did  he  occupy  the  bed 
fix)m  which  he  never  arose.  His  disease  was  pulmonary 
pneumonia.  Fully  impressed  with  the  belief  that  he 
could  not  survive  the  attack,  the  terrors  of  death  seemed 


QBORQE  WASHINGTON  PARKE  CUSTIS.  69 

merciAiUy  withdrawn,  and  with  the  gentleness  and  trust 
of  a  child  did  he  await  its  approach.  Regarding  his 
daughter  and  her  children  who  surrounded  him,  with 
touching  affection,  he  often  alluded  to  his  ^  blessed  wife," 
and  her  unceasing  prayers  for  him.  After  a  night  of  in- 
tense suffering  and  insensibility,  he  roused  himself,  and 
with  that  transient  gleam  of  light  that  usually  pre- 
cedes dissolution.  Solemnly  he  embraced  each  member 
of  his  family,  took  leave  of  an  old  servant  who  attended 
in  his  room,  requested  his  pastor  to  be  summoned,  to 
whom  he  avowed  his  belief  and  hope  in  the  only  atone- 
ment offered  for  sinners,'  with  clasped  hands  joined  in  the 
prayer  for  the  dying,  and  then  gently  sunk  to  rest  in  the 
seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

Thus  expired,  on  the  10th  of  October,  1857,  the  last 
male  representative  of  his  family — thus  was  broken  for 
ever  a  link  between  the  illustrious  Father  of  his  Country 
and  the  present  generation. 

"Falida  mors  a'qao  pnlsat  pede  pauperam  tabernas, 
Begam-qae  torres." 

The  funeral  of  Mr.  Custis  took  place  at  Arlington  on 
the  12th.  ^  As  was  anticipated,"  said  the  National  Intel- 
ligencer, ^  the  solemn  event  convened  a  numerous  con- 
course of  friends  who  had  long  been  associated  with  the 
venerable  man,  and  who  had  enjoyed  many  pleasing 
hours  in  listening  to  and  witnessing  the  feelings  of  genu- 
ine patriotism  which  inspired  him,  as  he  related  familiar 
incidents  in  the  life   and  character  of  the  illustrious 

WASfflNGTON. 

^  Besides  the  family  and  their  particular  friends,  ofl&cers 
of  the  army  and  navy,  distinguished  gentlemen  of  the 
legal  profession,  residents  of  Washington,  Georgetown, 


70  M£MOm   09 

and  Alexandria,  as  well  as  the  neighbors  of  the  deceased 
for  many  miles  aromid,  thronged  the  parlors  and  halls. 

^' Mount  Vernon  Guards  of  Alexandria^'  the  'Associ- 
ation of  the  Survivors  of  the  War  of  1812  of  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia^'  a  delegation  of  the  'Jamestown  So- 
ciety of  the  District^'  field  and  staff  officers  of  the  volun- 
teer-regiment^  and  the  Washington  light-infantry,  with 
their  banners  and  fine  martial  music,  and  a  delegation 
of  the  officers  of  the  President's  moimted  guard,  all 
travelled  a  distance  of  six  miles  to  unite  in  the  solemn 
testimonials  of  respect 

^  The  pall-bearers  appointed  were,  William  W.  Seaton, 
Philip  R  Fendall,  Cassius  F.  Lee,  Bushrod  W.  Hunter, 
Henry  Dangerfield,  and  William  B.  Bandolph. 

^  The  religious  services  were  conducted  in  an  impres- 
sive manner  by  the  Rev.  C.  B.  Dana,  of  Christ  church, 
Alexandria,  according  to  the  usages  of  Hie  Protestant 
Episcopal  church. 

^  The  interment  took  place  in  a  beautiM  grove  a  short 
distance  from  the  mansion,  after  which  all  retired  in 
silence.  The  occasion  awakened  touching  reminiscences 
of  many  pleasant  days  spent  at  the  celebrated  ^  Spring 
of  Arlington.'"* 

*  The  Arlington  spring  already  mentioned,  as  the  place  of  the  annual  sheep- 
shearing,  was,  for  many  years,  a  point  of  great  resort  for  picnic-parties  ftom  Wash* 
ingtonjGeorgetowOi  and  Alexandria;  and  a  small  boat,  used  for  conveying  parties 
thither,  was  named  "  G.  W.  P.  Custib."  It  was  estimated  that  at  some  seasons, 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  people  yisited  the  spring  on  sach  occasions.  Around 
the  spring  is  a  beautiful  shaded  lawn ;  and  the  generous  proprietor,  erer  ready  to 
give  happiness  to  others,  erected  a  wharf  for  the  public  accommodation,  a  store- 
room, kitchen,  dining-hall  sixty  feet  in  length,  and  a  saloon  of  the  same  dimensions 
for  dancing  in.  No  spiritous  liquors  were  permitted  to  be  sold  there,  and  visiters 
were  not  allowed  there  on  the  sabbath.  All  that  he  asked  in  return,  was  good  be- 
havior, and  a  reciprocation  of  the  kind  feeling  which  made  every  class  of  respectable 

dtizens  cordially  welcome. 

• 


GEOBQE  WABHINQTON  PARKE  CUSTIS.  71 

The  death  of  Mr.  Custis  produced  a  marked  sensation 
throughout  the  country.  He  was  universally  known, 
beloved,  and  honored,  as  the  "  child  of  Mount  Vernon  f 
and  everywhere  the  press  paid  the  tribute  of  most  pro- 
found respect  to  his  memory,  "  For  several  years,"  said 
the  National  Intelligencer,  in  noticing  his  death,  ^  he  had 
stood  alone  in  his  relations  to  the  Father  of  his  Country, 
ever  anxious,  with  filial  reverence  and  affection,  to  illus- 
trate his  character,  and  from  the  rich  stores  of  his  never- 
failing  memory,  to  bring  forward  an  annual  tribute  to 
his  immortal  worth.  Known  and  honored  by  his  fellow- 
countrymen,  his  departure  will  awaken  maiversally  a 
profbimd  regret. 

^Bom  amid  the  great  events  of  the  Revolution,  by 
the  death  of  his  father  (Colonel  Custis,  of  tlie  army,  and 
a  son  of  Mrs.  Washington  by  a  former  marriage),  which 
occurred  near  the  close  of  the  war,  he  found  his  home 
during  childhood  and  youth  at  Mount  Vernon,  where  his 
manners  were  formed  after  the  noblest  models ;  and  from 
the  great  worthies  of  that  period,  frequent  guests  there, 
he  received  impressions  of  wisdom  and  patriotism  that 
were  never  effaced  Under  the  counsels  of  Washington 
he  pmrsued  his  classical  studies  at  Princeton,  and  when 
deprived  by  death  of  his  great  guide  and  father  (and 
soon  after  of  his  revered  grandmother),  he  devoted  him- 
self to  literary  and  agricultural  pursuits  on  his  ample 
estate  of  Arlington. 

^Mr.  Custis  was  distinguished  by  an  original  genius 
for  eloquence,  poetry,  and  the  fine  arts  j  by  a  knowledge 
of  history,  particularly  the  history  of  this  country ;  for 
great  powers  of  conversation,  for  an  ever-ready  and  gen- 
erous hospitality,  for  kindness  to  the  poor,  for  patriotism, 


72  MEMOm  OF  GEORGE  WASHINGTON  PARKE  CU8TIS. 

for  constancy  of  fiiendship,  and  for  a  more  than  filial 
devotion  to  the  memory  and  character  of  Washington, 
His  early  speeches  on  the  death  of  General  Lingan  and 
the  overthrow  of  Napoleon  were  everywhere  read  and 
admired,  even  by  those  who  dissented  fipom  the  senti- 
ments, for  the  beauty  of  their  conception  and  their 
impassioned  eloquence.  Those  familiar  with  the  columns 
of  this  journal  will  not  forget  how  largely  we,  and  the 
country,  are  indebted  to  the  warm  and  everKjheerful 
spirit  of  the  deceased  for  many  invaluable  reminiscences 
of  Eevolutionary  history,  of  the  distinguished  men  of 
those  times,  and  especially  of  the  private  life  of  their 
glorious  chief  in  the  retirement  of  the  shades  of  his 
home  at  Mount  Yemon. 

^  Thousands  from  this  country,  and  from  foreign  lands, 
who  have  visited  Arlington  to  commune  with  our  de- 
parted friend,  and  look  upon  the  touching  memorials 
there  treasured  up  with  care,  of  him  who  was  first  in  the 
hearts  of  his  countrymen,  will  not  forget  the  charm 
thrown  over  all  by  the  ease,  grace,  interest,  and  vivacity 
of  the  manners  and  conversation  of  him  whose  voice, 
alas !  is  silent  now.  The  multitudes  of  our  fellow-citi- 
zens accustomed,  in  the  heat  of  summer,  to  resort  to  the 
shades  of  ArUngton,  will  hereafter  miss  that  old  man 
eloquent,  who  ever  extended  to  them  a  warm-hearted 
welcome  and  became  partaker  of  their  joy." 

In  stature,  Mr.  Custis  was  of  medium  height,  and  weU« 
formed;  his  complexion  fair  and  somewhat  florid;  hi* 
eyes  light  and  expressive  of  great  kindliness  of  nature  3 
his  voice  full,  rich,  and  melodious ;  his  deportment  grace- 
ful and  winning ;  his  courtesy  to  strangers  extremely  cor* 
dial ;  and  his  afiection  for  his  friends,  warm  and  abiding. 


CORRESPONDENCE 

BETWEEN 

WASHINGTON  AND  CUSTIS. 


Philadelphia,  15th  Ifiwemher,  1796. 

Dear  Washington  :  Yesterday's  mail  brought  me  yomr 
letter  of  the  12th  instant^  and  under  cover  of  this  letter 
you  will  receive  a  ten-dollar  bill,  to  purchase  a  gown,  &c., 
if  proper.  But  as  the  classes  may  be  distinguished  by  a 
different  insignia^  I  advise  you  not  to  provide  these  with- 
out first  obtaining  the  approbation  of  your  tutors;  other- 
wise you  may  be  distinguished  more  by  folly,  than  by 
the  dress.* 

It  affords  me  pleasure  to  hear  that  you  are  agreeably 
fixed;  and  I  receive  still  more  firom  the  assurance  .you 
give  of  attending  closely  to  your  studies.  It  is  you 
yourself  who  is  to  derive  immediate  benefit  fi:om  these. 
Your  coimtry  may  do  it  hereafter.  The  more  knowl- 
edge you  acquire,  the  greater  will  be  the  probability  of 
your  succeeding  in  both,  and  the  greater  will  be  your 
thirst  for  more. 

I  rejoice  to  hear  you  went  through  your  examination 

*  Yonng  Cnfltis,  was  a  stndent  in  Fjdncetoa  college,  New  Jeraey,  at  that  time, 
and  Washington,  then  president  of  the  United  States,  was  residing  in  Philadelphia^ 
fliat  being  the  federal  dtj. 


74  CORBESPONDENGE  BETWEEN 

with  propriety,  and  have  no  doubt  but  that  the  president 
has  placed  you  in  the  class  which  he  conceived  best 
adapted  to  the  present  state  of  your  improvement  The 
more  there  are  above  you,  the  greater  your  exertions 
should  be  to  ascend ;  but  let  your  promotion  result  from 
your  own  application,  and  from  intrinsic  merit,  not  from 
the  labors  of  others.  The  last  would  prove  fallacious, 
and  expose  you  to  the  reproach  of  the  daw  in  borrowed 
feathers.  This  would  b^  inexcusable  in  you,  because 
there  is  no  occasion  for  it;  forasmuch,  as  you  need 
nothing  but  the  exertion  of  the  talents  you  possess,  with 
proper  directions,  to  acquire  all  that  is  necessary ;  and 
the  hours  allotted  for  study,  if  properly  improved,  will 
enable  you  to  do  this.  Although  the  confinement  may 
feel  irksome  at  first,  the  advantages  resulting  from  it^  to 
a  refiecting  mind,  will  soon  overcome  it 

Endeavor  to  conciliate  the  good  will  of  a^  your  fellow- 
students,  rendering  them  every  act  of  kindness  in  your 
power.  Be  particularly  obliging  and  attentive  to  your 
chamber-mate,  Mr.  Forsyth;  who,  fix)m  the  account  I 
have  of  him,  is  an  admirable  young  man,  and  strongly 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  a  liberal  and  finished 
education.  But  above  all,  be  obedient  to  your  tutors, 
and  in  a  particular  manner  respect  the  president  of  the 
seminary,  who  is  both  learned  and  good. 

For  any  particular  advantages  you  may  derive  from 
the  attention  and  aid  of  Mr.  Forsyth,  I  shall  have  a  dis- 
position to  reward.  One  thing  more  and  I  will  close  this 
letter.  Never  let  an  indigent  person  ask,  without  re- 
ceiving sometMngy  if  you  have  the  means ;  always  recol- 
lecting in  what  light  the  widow's  mite  was  viewed. 

Tour  grandmother,  sister,  and  aU  here  are  well,  and 


WiASHINGTON  AND   OUBTIS.  75 

feeling  a  strong  interest  in  your  welfare,  join  most  cordi- 

afly  with  me  in  every  good  wish  for  it 

Affectionately, 

I  am  your  sincere  Mend, 

6.  Washington. 
Mr.  Geo.  Wasbingtov  Parke  Custis. 

PmLADELPHiA,  2Sth  November,  1796. 

Dear  WAsmNGTON :  In  a  few  hasty  lines,  covering  your 
sister's  letter  and  a  comb,  on  Saturday  last,  I  promised  to 
write  more  fully  to  you  by  the  post  of  this  day.  I  am 
now  in  the  act  of  performing  that  promise. 

The  assurances  you  give  me  of  applying  diligently  to 
your  studies,  and  fdlfiUing  those  obligations  which  are 
enjoined  by  your  Creator  and  due  to  his  creatures,  are 
highly  pleasing  and  satisfactory  to  me.  I  rejoice  in  it  on 
two  accounts ;  first,  as  it  is  the  sure  means  of  laying  the 
foundation  of  your  own  happiness,  and  rendering  you,  if 
it  should  please  God  to  spare  your  life,  a  useful  member 
of  society  hereafter ;  and  secondly,  that  I  may,  if  I  live 
to  enjoy  the  pleasure,  reflect  that  I  have  been,  in  some 
degree,  instrumental  in  efiecting  these  purposes. 

You  are  now  extending  into  that  stage  of  life  when 
good  or  bad  habits  are  formed.  When  the  mind  will  be 
turned  to  things  useful  and  praiseworthy,  or  to  dissipa- 
tion and  vice.  Fix  on  whichever  it  may,  it  will  stick  by 
you ;  for  you  know  it  has  been  said,  and  truly,  "  that  as 
the  twig  is  bent  so  it  will  grow.**  This,  in  a  strong  point 
of  view,  shows  the  propriety  of  letting  your  inexperience 
be  directed  by  maturer  advice,  and  in  placing  guard  upon 
the  avenues  which  lead  to  idleness  and  vice.  The  latter 
will  approach  like  a  thie^  working  upon  your  passions ; 
encouraged,  perhaps,  by  bad  examples;  the  propensity 


76  CORBESPONDENCE  BETWEEN 

to  which  will  increase  in  proportion  to  the  practice  of  it 
and  your  yielding.  This  admonition  proceeds  from  the 
purest  affection  for  you ;  but  I  do  not  mean  by  it^  that 
you  are  to  become  a  stoic,  or  to  deprive  yourself  in  the 
intervals  of  study  of  any  recreations  or  manly  exercise 
which  reason  approves. 

'Tis  well  to  be  on  good  terms  with  all  your  fellow- 
students,  and  I  am  pleased  to  hear  you  are  so,  but  while 
a  courteous  behavior  is  due  to  all,  select  the  most  de- 
serving only  for  your  friendships,  and  before  this  becomes 
intimate,  weigh  their  dispositions  and  character  toeU. 
True  friendship  is  a  plant  of  slow  growth ;  to*  be  sincere, 
there  must  be  a  congeniality  of  temper  and  pursuits. 
Virtue  and  vice  can  not  be  allied ;  nor  can  idleness  and 
industry ;  of  course,  if  you  resolve  to  adhere  to  the  two 
former  of  these  extremes,  an  intimacy  with  those  who 
incline  to  the  latter  of  them,  would  be  extremely  embar- 
rassing to  you ;  it  would  be  a  stmnbling-block  in  your 
way,  and  act  like  a  millstone  hung  to  your  neck,  for  it 
is  the  nature  of  idleness  and  vice  to  obtain  as  many 
votaries  as  they  can. 

I  would  guard  you,  too,  against  imbibing  hasty  and 
unfavorable  impressions  of  any  one.  Let  your  judgment 
always  balance  well,  before  you  decide ;  and  even  then, 
where  there  is  no  occasion  for  expressing  an  opinion,  it 
is  best  to  be  silent,  for  there  is  nothing  more  certain 
than  that  it  is  at  all  times  more  easy  to  make  enemies 
than  friends.  And  besides,  to  speak  evil  of  any  one,  un- 
less there  is  unequivocal  proofs  of  their  deserving  it>  is 
an  injiuy  for  which  there  is  no  adequate  reparation. 
For,  as  Shakespeare  says,  "  He  that  robs  me  of  my  good 
name  enriches  not  himself^  but  renders  me  poor  indeed," 


WASHINGTON  AND  CUSHS.  77 

or  words  to  that  effect  Keep  in  mind  that  scarcely  any 
change  would  be  agreeable  to  you  at  first  firom  the  sud- 
den transition,  and  firom  never  having  been  accustomed 
to  shift  or  rough  it  And,  moreover,  that  if  you  meet 
with  coUegiate  fere,  it  will  be  unmanly  to  complain. 
My  paper  reminds  me  it  is  time  to  conclude. 
Affectionately, 

Your  sincere  fiiend, 

G.   WASfflNQTON. 

P.  S. — I  presume  you  received  my  letter  covering  a 
ten-dollar  bill  to  pay  for  your  gown,  although  it  is  not 
mentioned.'  To  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  letters  is  al- 
ways proper,  to  remove  doubts  of  their  miscarriage. 

PmLADELPHiA,  19/A  December,  1796. 
Deab  WASfflNOTON:  I  am  not  certain  whether  I  have 
written  to  you  since  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  first 
instant,  for,  as  my  private  letters  are  generally  despatched 
in  a  hurry,  and  copies  not  often  taken,  I  have  nothing  to 
resort  to,  to  refiresh  my  memory ;  be  this,  however,  as  it 
may,  we  are  always  glad  to  hear  firom  you,  though  wo 
do  not  wish  that  letter-writing  should  interfere  with  your 
more  useful  and  profitable  occupations.  The  pleasure  of 
hearing  you  were  well,  in  good  spirits,  and  progressing 
as  we  could  wish  in  your  studies,  was  communicated  by 
your  letter  of  the  fourteenth  instant,  to  your  grandmamma; 
but  what  gave  me  particular  satisfaction,  was  to  find  that 
you  were  going  to  commence,  or  had  commenced  a  course 
of  reading  with  Doctor  Smith,*  of  such  books  as  he 

*  Samael  Stanhope  Smith,  then  president  of  Princeton  college,  was  a  distingaiah- 
ed  Presbyterian  clergyman.  He  was  bom  at  Peqnea,  Pennsylrania,  in  March,  1 750 ; 
was  educated  at  his  fother's  academy ;  entered  Princeton  college  when  in  his  six- 
teenth year;  took  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts  in  1769,  when  he  was  graduated; 


78  OOBBBBFONDEHCaS  BBTIVXBN 

had  chosen  for  the  purpose.  The  first  is  very  desirablQ, 
the  other  mdispensable ;  for,  besides  the  duty  enjoined 
upon  you  by  the  instructions  of  your  preceptors,  whilst 
your  own  judgment  is  locked  up  in  immaturity ;  you  now 
have  a  peculiar  advantage  in  the  attentions  of  Doctor 
Smith  to  you,  who,  being  a  man  of  learning  and  taste 
himself  will  select  such  authors  and  subjects,  as  will  lay 
the  foundation  of  useful  knowledge ;  let  me  impress  it 
upon  you,  therefore,  again  and  again,  not  only  to  jdeld 
implicit  obedience  to  his  choice  and  instructions  in  this 
respect,  but  to  the  course  of  studies  also,  and  that  you 
would  pursue  both  with  zeal  and  steadiness.  Light 
reading  (by  this,  I  mean  books  of  little  importance) 
may  amuse  for  the  moment,  but  leaves  nothing  solid 
behind. 

The  same  consequences  would  follow  fixmi  inconstancy 
and  want  of  steadiness — for  'tis  to  close  application  and 
constant  perseverance,  men  of  letters  and  science  are  in- 
debted for  their  knowledge  and  usefulness ;  and  you  are 
now  at  that  period  of  life  (as  I  have  observed  to  you  in  a 
former  letter)  when  these  are  to  be  acquired,  or  lost  for 
ever.  But  as  you  are  well  acquainted  with  my  sentiments 
on  this  subject,  and  know  how  anxious  all  your  fiiends  are 

and  looD  afterward  became  a  tutor  in  the  college.  There  he  remained  two  yean, 
studying  theology  at  the  same  time,  when  he  became  a  licensed  minister,  and  entered 
upon  missionary  labors  in  the  western  counties  of  Virginia.  He  was  very  popular, 
and  was  selected  to  preside  over  the  new  college  of  Hampden  Sidney,  in  FHnce  Ed- 
ward connty,  Virginia.  He  was  chosen  professor  of  moral  philosophy  in  Princeton 
college,  in  1779 ;  and  after  laboring  successfully  for  several  years  as  vice-president,  to 
build  up  the  college,  and  as  a  clergymen  for  the  interests  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
he  was  chosen,  in  1795,  president  of  the  college,  in  place  of  Doctor  Withenpoon, 
who  had  died  the  preceding  year.  Bl  health  compelled  him  to  relinquish  his  charge, 
in  1812,  and  in  August,  1819,  be  died,  at  the  age  of  nearly  seventy  years.  Doctor 
Smith  was  distinguished  for  his  great  goodness,  thorough  scholarship,  polished  man- 
ners, eloquence  as  a  preacher,  and  elegance  and  perspicuity  as  a  writer. 


WASHINGTON  AND   CTSTK.  79 

to  see  you  enter  upon  the  grand  theatre  of  life,  with  the 
advantages  of  a  finished  education,  a  highly  cidtivated 
mind,  and  a  proper  sense  of  your  duties  to  God  and 
man,  I  shall  only  add  one  sentiment  more  before  I  close 
this  letter  (which,  as  I  have  others  to  write,  will  hardly 
be  in  time  for  the  mail),  and  that  is,  to  pay  due  respect 
and  obedience  to  your  tutors,  and  affectionate  reverence 
to  the  president  of  the  college,  whose  character  merits 
your  highest  regards.  Let  no  bad  example,  for  such  is 
to  be  met  in  all  seminaries,  have  an  improper  influence 
upon  your  conduct.  Let  this  be  such,  and  let  it  be  your 
pride,  to  demean  yourself  in  such  a  manner  as  to  obtam 
the  good  will  of  your  superiors,  and  the  love  of  your 
fellow-students. 

Adieu — I  sincerely  wish  you  well,  being  your  attached 
and  affectionate  friend, 

G.  WASfflNGTON. 
To  Mb.  Geo.  .Washington  Custis. 

PmLADELPmA,  11/A  January^  1797. 
Dear  Washington:  I  hasten  to  acknowledge  the  re- 
ceipt of  your  letter,  dated  the  7th  instant^  but  which  did 
not  get  to  my  hands  until  yesterday,  and  to  express  to 
you  the  sincere  pleasure  I  feel  in  finding  that  I  had  in- 
terpreted some  parts  of  your  letters  erroneously.  As 
you  have  the  best  and  most  unequivocal  evidence  the 
case  is  susceptible  o^  that  I  have  no  other  object  in  view 
by  extending  my  cares  and  advice  to  you  than  what  will 
redound  to  your  own  respectability,  honor,  and  future 
happiness  in  life,  so  be  assured,  that  while  you  give  me 
reasons  to  expect  a  ready  submission  to  my  counsels,  and 
while  I  hear  that  you  are  diligent  in  pursuing  the  means 
which  are  to  acquire  these  advantages,  it  will  afford  me 


80  COBRESPONPMCE  BETWEEN 

infiiiite  gratification.  Your  last  letter  is  replete  with 
assurances  of  this  nature — I  place  entire  confidence  in 
them.  They  have  removed  all  the  doubts  which  were 
expressed  in  my  last  letter  to  you,  and  let  me  repeat  it 
again,  have  conveyed  very  pleasing  sensations  to  my 
mind. 

It  was  not  my  wish  to  check  your  correspondences — 
very  far  fi'om  it;  for  with  proper  characters  (and  none 
surely  can  be  more  desirable  than  with  your  papa  and 
Mr.  Lear),  and  on  proper  subjects,  it  will  give  you  a 
habit  of  expressing  your  ideas  upon  dU  occasums  with 
facility  and  correctness.  I  meant  no  more,  by  telling 
you  we  should  be  content  with  hearing  from  you  once  a 
week,  than  that  these  correspondences  were  not  to  be 
considered  as  an  injunction  or  an  imposition,  thereby  in- 
terfering with  your  studies  or  concerns  of  a  more  im- 
portant nature.  So  far  am  I  from  discountenancing 
writing  of  any  kind  (except  upon  the  principle  above- 
mentioned),  that  I  should  be  pleased  to  hear,  and  you 
yourself  might  derive  advantages  jfrom  a  short  diary 
(recorded  in  a  book)  of  the  occurrences  which  happen 
to  you  within  your  sphere.  .  Trifling  as  this  may  appear 
at  first  view,  it  may  become  an  introduction  to  more  in- 
teresting matters.  At  any  rate,  by  careftilly  preserving 
these,  it  would  afford  you  more  satisfaction  in  a  retro- 
spective view,  than  what  you  may  conceive  at  present 

Another  thing  I  woidd  recommend  to  you — not  be- 
cause J  want  to  know  how  yaw  spend  your  money — and 
that  is,  to  keep  an  account-book,  and  enter  therein  every 
farthing  of  your  receipts  and  expenditures.  The  doing 
of  which  woidd  initiate  you  into  a  habit,  jfrom  which  con- 
siderable advantages  would  residt    Where  no  account 


WASHINGTON  AND   CUBTK.  81 

of  this  sort  is  kept,  there  can  be  no  investigation ;  no  cor- 
rection of  errors ;  no  discovery  jBrom  a  recurrence  thereto, 
wherein  too  much,  or  too  little,  has  been  appropriated  to 
particular  uses.  From  an  early  attention  to  tiiese  mat- 
ters, important  and  lasting  benefits  may  follow. 

We  are  all  well,  and  all  unite  in  best  wishes  for  you  j 
and  with  sincere  affection  I  am  always  yours, 

G.  WASBJNQTOJSf^ 
Mr.  G.  Washington  Custis. 

Nassau  Hall,  25th  Marchy  1797, 
Dearest  Sir  :  A  letter  from  my  sister  this  morning,  in- 
formed me  of  your  safe  arrival  at  Mount  Vernon,  the 
ignorance  of  which  event  has  hitherto  prevented  me 
from  writing.  I  congratulate  you  on  a  thing  so  ardently 
wished  for  by  all  those  interested  in  your  welfare.  Tte 
marks  of  approbation  and  esteem  manifested  in  the  man- 
ner of  the  different  states  through  which  you  passed, 
must  have  have  been  highly  gratifying,  and  the  pleasure 
felt  on  reaching  the  destined  haven  must  have  rendered 
your  happiness  complete. 

The  different  studies  I  have  passed  through  dining 
the  winter,  I  am  now  reviewing ;  and  the  evident  good 
effects  resulting  from  an  attention  to  them  at  first,  are 
now  conspicuous.  The  examination  will  come  on  in  a 
fortnight^  and  immediately  after  the  vacation  will  com- 
mence. The  money  you  were  so  kind  as  to  transmit  for 
my  expenses,  I  shall  receive  at  my  departure,  and  keep, 
regular  accounts  of  all  expenditures.  I  shall  start  the. 
next  day,  and  pass  through  Philadelphia  without  stop- 
ping, so  that  I  can  have  twenty  days  to  stay  at  home  ;• 
my  anxiety  to  attain  this  end  will  preponderate  against 
all  other  considerations.     The  Roman   history  I  have. 

6 


82  OORBESPONDENOE  BETWBEN 

read,  reviewed,  and  am  perfect  in.  The  translating 
French  has  become  quite  familiar,  and  th^  great  amount 
of  writing  attending  this  exercise  has  improved  my  hand. 
I  have  read  a  great  many  good  authors  this  winter,  and 
have  particidarly  studied  Hume ;  have  obtained  a  tolerable 
idea  of  geography,  and,  sir,  in  justice  to  myself  and  my 
own  endeavors,  I  think  I  have  spent  my  time  in  a  man- 
ner not  to  be  complained  of  I  m\ist  confess  I  have  not 
made  so  much  progress  in  arithmetic  as  I  ought,  owing 
to  a  variety  of  circumstances,  and  the  superficial  man- 
ner in  which  I  imbibed  the  first  principles ;  but  in  the 
ensuing  summer  I  shall  make  up  the  deficiency,  and  then 
hope  I  shall  have  nothing  to  regret  I^  sir,  by  remain- 
ing in  Philadelphia  I  could  serve  you  in  any  way,  I  will 
do  so  with  pleasure.  For  myself,  I  have  no  desire  to' 
delay  a  moment  I  conclude,  by  wishing  you  all  health 
and  happiness.  Bemember  me  to  all  the  family,  and  be- 
lieve me  sincerely  yours,  G.  W.  P.  Custis. 
Gbobgb  WAsmNGTON,  Esq. 

Mount  Vernon,  Sd  April,  1797. 

Dear  WAsmNOTON :  Your  letter  of  the  25th  ultimo  has 
been  duly  received,  and  as  your  grandmamma  or  sister 
^vill  write  to  you  by  this  post,  I  shall  leave  it  to  them  to 
furnish  you  with  the  details  of  our  joimiey,  and  the 
occurrences  since  owe  arrival. 

It  gives  me  singular  pleasure  to  hear  that  your  time 
has  been  so  well  employed  during  the  last  winter,  and 
that  you  are  so  sensible  of  the  good  effects  of  it  yourself 
If  your  improvement  in  other  matters  is  equal  to  that 
which  is  visible  in  your  writing,  it  can  not  but  be  pleas- 
ing to  your  friends ;  for  the  change  there,  both  in  the 
characters  and  diction  is  considerably  for  the  better.     A 


WA8HINQT0N  AMD   CUBHS.  83 

perseverance  in  such  a  course  will  redound  much  to  your 
own  benefit  and  reputation,  and  will  make  you  at  all 
times  a  welcome  guest  at  Mount  Yemon. 

I  have  nothing  to  do  in  which  you  could  be  usefully 
employed  in  Philadelphia^  and  approve  your  determin- 
ation to  delay  no  time  at  that  or  any  other  place  on  the 
road,  that  you  may  have  the  more  of  it  to  spend  among 
your  friends  in  this  quarter,  who  are  very  anxious  to  see 
you. 

We  are  all  in  a  litter  and  dirt^  occasioned  by  joiners, 
masons,  and  painters,  working  in  the  house,  all  parts  of 
which,  as  well  as  the  out-buildings,  I  find  upon  examin- 
ation, to  be  exceedingly  out  of  repairs. 

I  am  always  and  afiectionately  yours, 

G.  WASfflNGTON. 

The  following  letter,  as  evincing  General  Washington's 
deep  solicitude  for  his  adopted  son,  is  here  inserted,  al- 
though the  occasion  that  called  it  forth  is  unknown,  the 
letter  of  Dr.  Smith  not  being  found  among  the  corre- 
spondence : — 

Mount  Vebnon,  2ith  May^  1797. 

Reverend  and  dear  Sm :  Your  favor  of  the  18th  instant 
was  received  by  the  last  post,  the  contents  of  which, 
relative  to  Mr.  Custis,  filled  my  mind  (as  you  naturally 
supposed  it  would)  with  extreme  disquietude.  From  his 
infancy  I  have  discovered  an  almost  unconquerable  dis- 
position to  indolence  in  everything  that  did  not  tend  to 
his  amusements;  and  have  exhorted  him  in  the  most 
parental  and  friendly  manner  often,  to  devote  his  time  to 
more  useful  pursuits.  His  pride  has  been  stimulated,  and 
his  family  expectations  and  wishes  have  been  urged  as 


84  OORRESPONBMGE  BETWEEN 

inducements  thereto.  In  shorty  I  could  say  nothing  to 
him  now  by  way  of  admonition,  encoiuragement,  or  ad- 
vice, that  has  not  been  repeated  over  and  over  again. 

It  is  my  earnest  desire  to  keep  him  to  his  studies  as 
long  as  I  am  able,  as  well  on  account  of  the  benefits  he 
will  derive  from  them,  as  for  the  purpose  of  excluding 
him  from  the  company  of  idle  and  dissipated  young  men 
imtil  his  judgment  is  more  matured. 

I  can  but  thank  you,  sir,  for  your  exertions  to  remove 
the  error  of  his  present  thoughts,  and  I  shall  hope  for 
your  further  endeavors  to  effect  it  If  you  find,  however, 
that  the  attempt  will  be  in  vain,  I  shall  rely  on  your 
judgment  to  employ  his  time  in  such  studies  as  you  con- 
ceive will  be  most  advantageous  to  him  during  his  con- 
tinuance with  you,  and  I  know  of  none  more  likely  to 
prove  so  than  those  you  have  suggested,  if  his  term  at 
college  will  close  with  the  next  vacation.  Witii  very 
great  esteem  and  regard,  I  am,  reverend  sir. 

Tour  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant^ 

G.  WASfflNGTON. 
The  Reverend  Doctor  S.  Smith. 

Several  letters  must  have  been  destroyed,  as  ihe 
*  error"  referred  to  by  Washington  is  not  explained.  If 
we  may  judge  from  the  following  letter,  it  vreiBfarffwen. 

Nassau  Hall,  29th  May^  1797. 
Deabest  Sm :  Words  can  not  express  my  present  sen- 
sations ;  a  heart  overflowing  with  joy  at  the  success  of 
conscience  over  disposition  is  all  I  have  to  give.  Dearest 
sir,  did  you  but  know  the  effect  your  letter  has  produced 
it  would  give  you  as  consummate  pleasure  as  my  former 
one  did  pain.    My  very  soul,  tortured  with  the  stings  of 


WASHINOTON  AND   CUSTIS.  85 

conscience,  at  length  called  reason  to  its  aid,  and  happily 
for  me  triumphed  That  I  shall  ever  recompense  you 
for  the  trouble  I  have  occasioned,  is  beyond  my  hopes. 
However,  I  will  now  make  a  grand  exertion,  and  show 
you  that  your  grandson  shall  once  more  deserve  your 
favor.  Could  you  but  see  how  happy  I  now  am,  you 
would  soon  forget  all  that  is  past,  and  let  my  future  con- 
duct prove  the  truth  of  my  assertions.  Good  God,  how 
just  your  letter !  but,  alas,  we  are  poor  weak  creatures, 
and  never  believe  what  we  do  not  feel.  Could  I  hope 
this  would  restore  your  peace  of  mind  my  happiness 
would  be  complete.  My  time  appears  to  me  now  too 
short  I  shall  seize  the  present  moments,  and  God  grant 
I  may  be  a  pleasure  to  my  fiiends,  family,  and  self.  I 
can  not  say  too  much  on  this  subject^  I  wait  for  your 
letter  which  I  can  already  read.  That  I  have  abused 
such  goodness  is  shocking,  that  I  shall  ever  do  so  again 
I  will  risk  my  life.  Confiding,  dearest  sir,  in  your  equity 
and  fatherly  affection,  I  subscribe  myself,  with  the  sin- 

cerest  and  most  heartfelt  joy, 

G.  W.  R  CusTis. 

Mount  Ybbnon,  44h  June,  1797. 
YouE  letter  of  the  29th  ultuno,  came  to  hand  by  the 
post  of  Friday,  and  eased  my  mind  of  many  unpleasant 
sensations  and  reflections  on  your  account  It  has,  in- 
deed, done  more,  it  has  filled  it  with  pleasure  more  easy 
to  be  conceived  than  expressed  j  and  if  your  sorrow  and 
repentance  for  the  disquietude  occasioned  by  the  preced- 
ing letter,  your  resolution  to  abandon  the  ideas  which 
were  therein  expressed,  are  sincere,  I  shall  not  only 
heartily  forgive,  but  will  forget  also,  and  bury  in  ob- 
livion all  that  has  passed. 


86  CORRESPONDENCE  BETWEEN 

As  a  testimony  of  my  disposition  to  do  this — of  the 
hope  I  had  conceived  that  reflection  would  overcome  an 
indolent  habit  or  bad  advice — not  a  hint  respecting  this 
matter  has  been  given  to  any  of  your  fiiends  in  this 
quarter,  although  Doctor  Stuart*  and  your  mother  (with 
their  children)  left  this  on  Thursday  last,  after  a  stay  of 
a  week,  and  both  Mr.  Law  and  Mr.  Peter  have  been  here 
since  the  receipt  of  it.  In  a  word,  your  grandmamma, 
sister,  and  myself,  are  all  who  were  acquainted  there- 
with. 

You  must  not  suffer  the  resolution  you  have  recently 
entered  into,  to  operate  as  the  mere  residt  of  a  moment- 
ary impulse,  occasioned  by  the  letters  you  have  received 
from  hence.  This  resolution  should  be  founded  on  sober 
reflection,  and  a  thorough  conviction  of  your  error,  other- 
wise it  will  be  as  wavering  as  the  wind,  and  become  the 
sport  of  conflicting  passions,  which  will  occasion  such  a 
lassitude  in  your  exertions  as  to  render  your  studies  of 
little  avail.  To  insure  permanency,  think  seriously  of  the 
advantages  which  are  to  be  derived,  on  the  one  hand, 
from  the  steady  pursuit  of  a  coiu^e  of  study  to  be  marked 
out  by  your  preceptor,  whose  judgment,  experience,  and 
acknowledged  abilities,  enables  him  to  direct  them ;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  revolve  as  seriously  on  the  conse- 
quences which  would  inevitably  result  from  an  indispo- 
sition to  this  measure,  or  from  an  idle  habit  of  hankering 
after  unprofitable  amusements  at  your  time  of  life,  before 
you  have  acquired  that  knowledge  which  would  be  found 
beneficial  in  every  situation;  I  say  lefore^  because  it  is  not 
my  wish  that,  having  gone  through  the  essentials,  you 
should  be  deprived  of  any  rational  amusement  afterward; 

*  Doctor  Stnart  married  young  Cnstis's  mother  not  long  after  her  husband's  death. 


WASHmOTON  AND   CUSTIS.  87 

or,  lastly,  from  dissipation  in  such  company  as  you  would 
most  likely  meet  under  such  circumstances,  who,  but  too 
often,  mistake  ribaldry  for  wit  and  rioting,  swearing,  in- 
toxication, and  gambling,  for  manliness. 

These  things  are  not  without  momentary  charms  to 
young  minds  susceptible  of  any  .impression,  before  the 
judgment  in  some  measure  is  formed,  and  reason  begins 
to  preponderate.  It  is  on  this  ground,  as  well  as  on  ac- 
coimt  of  the  intrinsic  advantages  that  you  yourself  would 
experience  hereafter  from  it,  that  I  am  desirous  of  keep- 
ing you  to  your  studies.  And  if  such  characters  as  I 
have  described  shoidd  be  found  instrumental,  either  by 
their  advice  or  example,  in  giving  your  mind  a  wrong 
bias,  shun  them  as  you  would  a  pestilence ;  for,  be  assured, 
it  is  not  with  such  qualities  as  these  you  ought  to  be 
allied,  or  with  those  who  possess  them  to  have  any 
friendship. 

These  sentiments  are  dictated  by  the  purest  regard  for 
your  welfare,  and  from  an  earnest  desire  to  promote  your 
irtie  happiness,  in  which  all  your  friends  feel  an  interest, 
and  would  be  much  gratified  to  see  accomplished,  while 
it  would  contribute  in  an  eminent  degree  to  your  re- 
spectabihty  in  the  eyes  of  others. 

Your  endeavors  to  fulfiill  these  reasonable  wishes  of 
ours  can  not  fail  of  restoring  all  the  attentions,  protect 
tion,  and  aflFection,  of  one  who  ever  has  been,  and  will 
continue  to  be,  your  sincere  friend, 

G.  WASfflNOTON. 
Mr.  George  W.  P.  Cdstis. 

Nassau  Hall,  June  Sth,  1797. 
WrcH  a  heart  overflowing  with  gratitude,  love,  and  joy, 
I  retinm  you  thanks  for  your  favor  of  the  4th  ultimo,  and 


88  OOBKESPONPENGE  BSTWEEK 

could  my  words  do  justice  to  my  feelings^  I  would  paint 
them  in  their  highest  tints,  but  words  communicate  ideas 
not  sensations.  Your  letter,  fraught  with  what  reason, 
prudence,  and  affection,  only  can  dictate,  is  engraven  on 
my  mind,  and  has  taken  root  in  a  soil  which  I  shall  cul- 
tivate, and  which,  I  hope,  may  become  fruitful ;  and,  dear 
sir,  while  I  look  up  to  that  Providence  which  has  pre- 
served me  in  my  late  contest  with  my  passions,  and  en- 
abled me  to  act  in  a  way  which  will  redound  to  my 
honor,  permit  me  to  make  this  humble  confession,  that  if 
in  any  way,  or  by  any  means,  I  depart  jfrom  yoiu:  direction 
and  guardianship,  I  may  suffer  as  such  imprudence  shall 
deserve.  That  your  letter  and  the  directions  contained 
therein,  were  from  the  purest  motives,  I  can  not  doubt 
for  one  moment,  as  they  are  from  one  to  whom  I  have 
looked  foi  support  on  earth,  and  from  whom  I  have  ex- 
perienced the  most  unbounded  generosity.  During  my 
recess  from  college  I  was  not  idle,  having  with  Doctor 
Smith  studied  the  use  of  the  globes,  and  got  a  tolerable 
insight  into  geography.  We  shall  pursue,  this  summer 
privately,  Priestley's  Elements  of  Natural  History,  and 
Smith's  Constitution.  I  have,  at  length,  attained  a  room 
to  myself,  and  shall  take  for  a  room-mate  a  Mr.  Cassius 
Lee,  son  of  Richard  Henry  Lee,  a  young  man  lately  ar- 
rived from  the  eastward,  where  he  has  been  pursuing 
his  studies  privately.  He  is  of  an  amiable  disposition,  and 
very  well  informed.  I  shall  have  an  opportunity  of 
giving  you  better  information  about  him  when  he  has 
resided  with  me  some  time,  as  yet  he  is  perfectly  agree- 
able and  very  engaging.  My  class  are  now  studying  the 
Roman  History,  with  which  I  am  well  acquainted,  having 
previously  studied  it  with  the  doctor.    The  things  you 


WA8HIN0T0N  AND   CV&IIB.  89 

commissioned  me  to  get  I  have  provided,  and  suppose 
you  have  the  accounts  now  for  adjustment  They  are 
perfectly  suitable,  and  I  hope  reasonable.  I  will  now 
conclude,  with  expressing,  what  I  have  always  had  near- 
est my  hearty  a  desire  of  your  esteem.  Be  assured  naught 
shall  be  wanting  on  my  part  to  obtain  the  same ;  and  that 
Hie  great  Parent  of  the  universe  may  prolong  your  days, 
is  the  sincere  prayer  of  your  ever  affectionate, 

G.  W.  P.  CusTia 

Nassau  Hall,  July  Utj  1797. 

Dearest  Sir  :  Since  my  last,  nothing  material  has  oc- 
curred ;  the  weather  is  excessively  sultry,  the  thermom- 
eter being  generally  at  98°,  which  makes  study  and  con- 
finement very  disagreeable.  I  have  much  time  to  read, 
which  I  shall  employ  to  that  end,  and  am  studying  Priest- 
ley's Lectures  on  History,  with  the  doctor,  and  reading 
Smollett  and  Hume  by  myself. 

We  shall  commence  geography  the  middle  of  this 
month,  and  devote  the  remainder  of  the  session  to  that 
alone.  I  have  studied  the  use  of  the  globes  and  maps 
during  my  recess  from  college.  • 

I  have  written  to  my  old  private  tutor  to  solicit  his 
correspondence,  and  have  received  a  letter  from  bim  ex- 
pressing his  approbation  of  the  measure. 

The  fourth  of  July  will  be  celebrated  with  all  possible 
magnificence ;  the  college  will  be  illuminated  and  cannon 
fired ;  a  ball  will  be  held  at  the  tavern  in  the  evening, 
which  I  shall  not  attend,  as  I  do  not  consider  it  con- 
sistent Ynth  proprie^. 

Mr.  Cassius  Lee,  the  gentlemen  I  informed  you  I  had 
taken  as  a  room-mate,  is  a  remarkably  moral  and  modest 
young  man.    I  have  no  doubt  we  shall  live  happily  to- 


90  OOBBEBPONDENCE  BETWEEN 

gether.  He  is  a  son  of  Richard  H.  Lee,  and  brother  to 
Ludwell.  My  room  is  fitted  up  very  neatly  and  comfort- 
ably, though  when  the  senior  class  leave  college,  I  may 
almost  have  my  choice. 

Mr.  Burwell  called  on  his  way  to  Boston,  and  informed 
me  you  were  not  very  well.  I  sincerely  hope  it  pro- 
ceeded merely  from  cold  or  fatigue,  and  will  not  produce 
unpleasant  consequences. 

I  now  conclude,  wishing  you  health  and  all  the  happi- 
ness this  world  can  afford.     Be  assured  I  remain, 
Most  sincerely, 

Your  affectionate, 

G.  W.  P.  CusTis. 

P.  S. — Mr.  Lee's  respectfid  compliments  wait  on  you, 
sir.  He  is  happy  to  inform  you  he  left  your  nephew 
well  at  Andover,  Massachusetts. 

To  George  WAsmNGXON,  Esq. 

Mount  Vernon,  lOtk  July,  1797. 

Dear  Washington  :  Your  letter  of  the  first  instant  was 
received  by  the  last  mail  (on  Friday),  and  your  other 
letter,  of  the  *eighth  of  June,  remains  imacknowledged, 
owing  principally  to  engagements  without  doors  in  my 
harvest  fields,  and  to  company  within,  for  we  have  scarcely 
been  alone  a  day  for  more  than  a  month,  and  now  have 
a  house  full,  among  whom  are  your  sisters.  Law  and 
Peter. 

To  hear  you  are  in  good  health,  and  progressing  well 
in  your  studies,  affords  peculiar  satisfaction  to  your 
friends,  and  to  none  more  than  myself  j  as  it  is  my 
earnest  desire  that  you  should  be  accomplished  in  all 
the  useful  and  polite  branches  of  literature. 

To  correspond  with  men  of  letters,  can  not  fail  of 


WASHINQTON  AND   CUSTIS.  91 

being  serviceable  to  you,  provided  it  does  not  interfere 
with  your  more  important  duties,  and  to  hear  their  sen- 
timents on  particular  points  may  not  be  amiss ;  but  you 
are  not  to  forget  that  your  course  of  studies  is  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Smith,  who  is,  at  least,  equal  to  any  you 
can  correspond  with ;  who  knows  what  you  have  learned, 
and  what  is  necessary  for  you  to  learn,  to  be  system- 
atical. I  enjoin  it .  strongly  upon  you,  therefore,  not  to 
suffer  any  opinion  or  advice  of  Mr.  Z.  Lewis,  however 
well  meant  they  may  be,  to  divert  you  from  the  prose- 
cution of  any  plan  which  may  be  marked  out  by  Dr. 
Smith,  or  to  produce  the  least  hesitation  in  your  mind, 
for  no  good  can  come  of  it,  and  much  evU  may. 

It  gives  me  much  pleasure  to  hear  that  you  have  got 
a  chamber-mate  that  is  agreeable  to  you.  We  hope  he 
will  continue  to  be  so,  for  your  mutual  satisfaction  and 
benefit 

The  weather  has  not  been  intensely  hot  with  us ;  at  no 
time  this  summer  has  the  mercury  exceeded  90°,  and 
but  once,  and  this  was  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  June,  has 
it  been  so  high. 

If  it  has  been  usual  for  the  students  of  Nassau  college 
to  go  to  the  balls  on  the  anniversary  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  I  see  no  reason  why  you  should  have 
avoided  it,  as  no  innocent  amusement  or  reasonable  ex- 
penditure will  ever  be  withheld  fix)m  you. 

I  take  it  for  granted,  that  your  grandmamma  and  sister 
Nelly  (if  no  more  of  the  family)  are  writing  to  you, 
and  as  they  detail  more  than  I  can  the  domestic  news,  I 
will  only  subscribe  myself. 

Your  affectionate,        Geo.  WASfflNGTON. 

To  Mb-  6,  W.  P.  Cu8Ti8. 


92  COBfi£BPOND£NCS  BSTWEBK 

Nabsau  Hall,  /u^  lith,  1797. 

Most  Honored  Sm:  I  have  just  received  your  kind 
favor  of  the  tenth  ultimo,  together  with  the  enclosed,  for 
all  of  which  accept  my  thanks.  I  congratulate  you  upon 
the  enjoyment  of  your  health  and  prospects  of  future 
felicity,  which  that  you  may  attain  and  experience  is  my 
fervent  prayer. 

The  gentlemen,  w^hose  correspondence  I  have  submit- 
ted to  yoiu'  inspection,  are  Messrs.  Lewis,  Law,  Lear,  and 
Dr.  Stuart.  With  respect  to  your  apprehensions  of 
Lewis's  advice  on  subjects  which  materially  affect  my 
conduct^  I  own  they  are  perfectly  just,  and  am  happy 
you  have  suggested  them,  as  they  will  put  me  on  my 
guard.  Our  letters  are  on  topics  which  occasion  remarks 
on  both,  sides,  and  are  improving  to  me  alone,  as  they 
tend  to  correct  style  and  give  fluency  to  expression.  I 
am  studying  the  principles  and  uses  of  history  in  gene- 
ral, in  a  course  of  lectures  by  Priestley,  and  shall  be  able 
to  apply  them  to  any  history  so  as  to  make  it  easy  to  be 
understood  and  entertaining.  I  have  also  much  leisure 
for  reading,  as  the  class  are  studying  Roman  antiquities, 
which  I  have  gone  through  with  the  doctor.  The  fourth 
of  July  was  very  grand ;  we  fired  three  times  sixteen 
roimds  from  a  six-pounder,  and  had  public  exhibitions  of 
speaking.  At  night  the  whole  college  was  beautifully 
illuminated.  The  ball  was  instituted  by  the  students^ 
and  principally  attended  by  them.  My  ideas  of  impro- 
pridy  proceeded  from  a  distaste  of  such  things  during  a 
recess  from  them,  as  I  was  confident  all  relish  for  study 
would  be  lost  after  such  enjoyment ;  for  there  is  a  differ- 
once  between  the  mind's  being  entirely  taken  off  from  an 
object,  to  which  it  can  retiun  with  increased  vigor,  and 


WASHINGTON  AND   CTOTia  93 

a  momentary  relapse,  which  only  whets  the  appetite  that 
can  not  be  satiated. 

The  thermometer  in  the  sun  is  110°,  98°  in  the  shade. 
We  wear  light  clothing,  and  are  permitted  to  appear 
in  morning-gowns.  I  am  at  present  in  want  of  nothing, 
and  perfectly  well.  With  kind  remembrances  to  all 
my  friends  and  family,  I  conclude  with  wishing  you 
health,  peace,  and  happiness,  the  only  blessings  this 
world  can  bestow  and  man  enjoy,  and  subscribe  myself 
with  sincere  affection  and  duty, 

Yotma, 

G.  W.  P.  Cusns. 

GbOBOS  WASHmGTON,  EsQ. 

MoxjNT  Vernon,  2M  July^  \1^1. 

Deab  WASfflNGTON :  TouT  letter  of  the  14th  instant  has 
been  duly  received,  and  gives  us  pleasure  to  hear  that 
you  enjoy  good  health,  and  are  progressing  well  in  yoiu* 
studies. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  discoiurage  your  correspondence 
with  Dr.  Stuart,  Mr.  Law,  or  Mr.  Lewis,  or  indeed  with 
any  others,  as  well-disposed  and  capable  as  I  believe 
ihey  are  to  give  you  specimens  of  correct  writing,  proper 
subjects,  and  if  it  were  necessary,  good  advice. 

With  respect  to  your  epistolary  amusements  gene- 
rally, I  had  nothing  further  in  view  than  not  to  let  them 
interfere  with  your  studies,  which  were  of  more  interest- 
ing concern;  and  with  regard  to  Mr.  Z.  Lewis,  I  only 
meant  that  no  suggestions  of  his,  if  he  had  proceeded  to 
give  them,  were  to  be  interposed  to  the  course  pointed 
out  by  Dr.  Smith,  or  suffered  to  weaken  your  confidence 
therein.  Mr.  Lewis  was  educated  at  Yale  college,  and 
as  is  natural,  may  be  prejudiced  in  favor  of  the  mode 


94  CORRESPONDENCE  BETWEEN 

pursued  at  that  seminary ;  but  no  college  has  turned  out 
better  scholars,  or  more  estimable  characters,  than  Nas- 
sau. Nor  is  there  any  one  whose  president  is  thought 
more  capable  to  direct  a  proper  system  of  education  than 
Dr.  Smith ;  for  which  reason,  if  Mr.  Lewis,  or  any  other, 
was  to  prescribe  a  different  course  from  the  one  you  are 
engaged  in  by  the  direction  of  Dr.  Smith,  it  would  give 
me  concern.  Upon  the  plan  you  propose  to  conduct 
your  correspondence,  none  of  the  evils  I  was  fearful  of 
can  happen,  while  advantages  may  result ;  for  composi- 
tion, like  other  things,  is  made  more  perfect  by  practice 
and  attention,  and  just  criticism  thereon. 

I  do  not  hear  you  mention  anything  of  geography  or 
mathematics  as  parts  of  your  study ;  both  these  are  ne- 
cessary branches  of  useful  knowledge.  Nor  ought  you  to 
let  your  knowledge  of  the  Latin  language  and  grammati- 
cal rules  escape  you.  And  the  French  language  is  now 
so  universal,  and  so  necessary  with  foreigners,  or  in  a 
foreign  country,  that  I  think  you  would  be  injudicious 
not  to  make  yourself  master  of  it 

You  certainly  do  not  observe  the  degree  of  heat  by 
Farenheit's  thermometer,  or  it  must  be  in  a  very  hot 
exposure  if  you  do  j  for  at  no  time  this  summer  has 
the  mercury  been  above  90°,  or  at  most  91°,  at  this 
place ;  and  I  should  think  Princeton  must  be  as  cool  at 
least  as  Mount  Vernon,  being  nearly  two  degrees  north 
of  it 

Your  mamma  went  from  here  (with  your  sister  Nelly) 
to  Hope  Park,  on  Wednesday,  and  is  as  well  as  usual. 
Your  sister  Law  and  child,  were  well  on  that  day ;  and 
Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  Eleanor  Peter  are  all  well  at  this  place 
now,  and  having  many  others  in  the  house,  among  whom 


WASmNGTON  AND   CUSTIS.  95 

are  Mr.  Volney  and  Mr.  William  Morris.    I  shall  only 

add,  that  I  am  sincerely  and  aflfectionately. 

Yours,  G.  Washington. 

Mr.  G.  W.  P.  CusTis. 

Nassau  Hall,  July  ^Oth,  1797. 

Dearest  Sm:  It  is  with  pleasure  I  acknowledge  the 
receipt  of  your  obliging  favor  of  the  23d  ultimo,  and 
must  congratulate  you  upon  the  enjoyment  of  your 
health,  the  preservation  of  which  should  always  be  our 
aun,  and  I  have  no  doubt,  as  long  as  you  are  able  to 
take  your  accustomed  exercise  that  you  will  be  perfectly 
welL 

Mr.  Z.  Lewis  has  kept  up  the  correspondence.  His 
letters  have  generally  contained  common-place  remarks 
on  different  subjects.  His  plans,  were  he  to  suggest  any, 
would  have  very  Uttle  weight  with  me,  and  would  not 
tend  to  counteract  those  of  Doctor  Smith,  I  assure  you. 
As  to  the  other  gentlemen,  I  am  well  convinced  they 
would  merely  suggest,  and  not  pretend  to  influence  me 
in  any  pursuit  pointed  out  by  him. 

With  respect  to  the  study  of  geography,  I  had  forgot- 
ten that  you  were  unacquainted  with  the  course  of  the 
class,  or  I  should  have  mentioned  it  particularly.  We 
are  now  engaged  in  geography  and  English  grammar, 
both  of  which  we  shall  nearly  conclude  this  session. 
The  senior  class  will  leave  college  in  about  a  fortnight, 
when  we  shall  become  junior  or  second  class,  not  in' 
studies,  as  we  do  not  commence  mathematics  till  next 
session.  The  time  appears  to  glide  away  imperceptibly. 
This  session  wants  but  eight  weeks  of  being  out. 

It  was  with  heartfelt  satisfaction  I  read  that  Buonaparte 
had  sued  for  the  liberation  of  the  marquis^  and  sincerely 


96  OORB£SPONDi2fOE  BETWEEN 

hope  poor  Mr.  Lafeyette  may  have  some  authentic  ao- 
comits  concerning  the  same,  which  will,  no  douht,  afford 
him  great  relief  in  his  present  state  of  suspense  * 

The  weather  has  become  more  moderate.  I  have  no 
news  to  tell  you,  except  that  Greenleaf  is  in  jail  and 
likely  to  remain  there. 

Present  my  love  to  the  femily,  and  be  assured,  dearest 
sir,  that  bound  by  ties  indissoluble  in  themselves,  and 
sacred  to  me,  I  remain, 

Your  dutiftd  and  affectionate, 

a  W.  P.  CUSTTS. 

Mount  Vernon,  29th  August^  1797. 

Dear  WAsmNGTON:  Your  letter  of  the  21st  instant, 
came  to  hand  by  the  last  post,  and  as  usual,  gave  us 
pleiasure  to  hear  that  you  enjoyed  good  health,  were 
progressing  well  in  your  studies,  and  that  you  were  in 
the  road  to  promotion. 

The  senior  class  having  left,  or  being  on  the  point  of 
leaving  college,  some  of  them  with  great  echij  ought  to  ' 
provoke  strong  stimulus  to  those  who  remain,  to  acquire 
equal  reputation,  which  is  no  otherwise  to  be  done  than 
by  perseverance  and  close  application;  in  neither  of 
which  I  hope  you  will  be  found  deficient. 

Not  knowing  the  precise  time  that  the  vacation  com- 
mences, I  have  put  \mder  cover  with  this  letter  to  Doctor 
Smith,  forty  dollars  to  defray  the  expenses  of  your  jour- 
ney ;  and  both  your  grandmamma  and  myself  desire  that 
you  will  not  think  of  doing  it  by  water,  as  the  passage 

*  The  Marquis  de  Lafayette  suffered  much  during  the  etorm  of  the  old  French 
Revolution.  He  was  compelled  to  flee  from  his  country,  but  being  arrested,  was 
for  three  years  in  prison  in  a  dungeon  at  Olmutz,  in  Qermany.  His  son,  Qeorge 
Washington  Lafayette,  above  alluded  to,  came  to  America,  and  found  a  home  in 
the  family  of  Waslungton,  at  Mount  Vernon,  until  his  father  was  set  at  liberty. 


WASHINQTON  AND   CUSHS.  97 

may  not  only  be  very  tedums^  but  subject  to  a  variety  of 
accidents,  to  which  a  journey  by  land  is  exempt ;  and  as 
the  yellow  fever  is  announced  from  authority  to  be  in 
Philadelphia^  we  enjoin  it  on  you  strictly  to  pursue  the 
route,  and  the  direction  which  you  may  receive  from  the 
president  of  the  college,  to  avoid  the  inconveniences  and 
consequences  which  a  different  conduct  might  involve 
you  and  others  in. 

Although  I  persuade  myself  that  there  is  no  occasion 
for  the  admonition,  yet  I  exhort  you  to  come  with  a 
mind  steadfastly  resolved  to  return  precisely  at  the  time 
allotted,  that  it  may  be  guarded  against  those  ideas  and 
allurements  which  unbend  it  from  study,  and  cause  re- 
luctance to  return  to  it  again.  Better  remain  where  you 
are  than  suffer  impressions  of  this  sort  to  be  imbibed 
from  a  visit,  however  desirous  that  visit  may  be  to  you, 
and  pleasing  to  your  friends,  who  wiU  prefer  infinitely 
your  permanent  good,  to  temporary  gratifications ;  but 
I  shall  make  all  fears  of  this  sort  yield  to  a  firm  persua- 
sion, that  every  day  convinces  you  more  and  more  of  the 
propriety  and  necessity  of  devoting  your  youthful  days 
in  the  acquirement  of  that  knowledge  which  will  be  ad- 
vantageous, grateful,  and  pleasing  to  you  in  maturer 
years,  and  may  be  the  foimdation  of  your  usefulness 
here,  and  happiness  hereafter. 

Your  grandmamma  (who  is  prevented  writing  to  you 
by  General  Spotswood  and  family's  being  here)  has  been 
a  good  deal  indisposed  by  swelling  on  one  side  of  her  face, 
but  it  is  now  much  better.  The  rest  of  the  family  within 
doors  are  all  well,  and  all  unite  in  best  regards  for  you, 
with  your  sincere  friend,  and  affectionate, 

G.  WASfflNGTON. 
Mr.  G.  Washington  Custis. 


98  COBB£8PONDE270B  BETWEIN 

The  correspondence  for  the  year  1797  here  closed 
We  next  find  a  letter  from  Washington  to  Mr.  McDowell, 
president  of  St.  John's  college,  Annapolis.  We  know  not 
why  Mr.  Custis  was  removed  from  Princeton. 

Mount  Verwon,  5th  March,  1798. 

Sm:  Consequent  upon  a  letter  received  from  Mr. 
George  Calvert  recently,  this  letter  will  be  presented  to 
you  by  Doctor  Stuart,  who  is  so  obliging  as  to  accom- 
pany young  Mr.^  Custis  to  Annapolis  for  the  purpose  of 
placing  him  at  college  tmder  your  auspices,  and  making 
such  arrangements  respecting  his  boarding  and  the  pre- 
cise line  of  conduct  for  him  to  observe,  and  such  coiu«e 
of  studies  as  you  and  he  (the  temper  and  genius  of  the 
youth  being  considered)  shall  conceive  most  eligible  for 
him  to  pursue. 

Mr.  Custis  possesses  competent  talents  to  fit  him  for 
any  studies,  but  they  are  counteracted  by  an  indolence 
of  mind,  which  renders  it  difl&cult  to  draw  them  into 
action.  Doctor  Stuart  having  been  an  attentive  observer 
of  this,  I  shall  refer  you  to  him  for  the  development  of 
the  causes,  while  justice  from  me  requires  I  should  add, 
that  I  know  of  no  vice  to  which  this  inertness  can  be  at- 
tributed. From  drinking  and  gaming  he  is  perfectly 
free,  and  if  he  has  a  propensity  to  any  other  impropriety 
it  is  hidden  from  me.  He  is  generous  and  regardfid  oi 
truth. 

As  his  family,  fortune,  and  talents  (if  the  latter  can  be 
improved),  give  him  just*  pretensions  to  become  a  useftd 
member  of  society  in  the  councils  of  his  country,  his 
friends,  and  none  more  than  mjrself,  are  extremely  desir- 
ous that  his  education  should  be  liberal,  polished,  and 


WASHINGTON  AND   CUSTIS.  99 

suitable  for  this  end ;  any  suggestions  to  promote  these 
views  will  be  thankfiilly  received  Whatever  is  agreed 
upon  by  Doctor  Stuart  in  my  behalf,  with  relation  to 
Mr.  CustiSy  will  meet  the  approbation  oi^  and  be  complied 
with  by,  6ir,  your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

G.   WASfflNGTON. 
Mr.  McDowell, 

President  of  the  College  at  Annapolis. 

Annapolis,  March  12«A,  1798. 
Deabest  Sm :  I  arrived  here  in  due  season,  after  a  very 
agreeable  journey,  and  found  all  my  relations  well,  and 
Annapolis  a  very  pleasant  place.  I  visited  the  principal 
inhabitants  while  the  doctor  was  here,  and  found  them 
aU  very  kind.  Mr.  McDowell  is  a  very  good  and  agree- 
able man.  He  has  examined  me,  and  I  am  now  pursuing 
the  study  of  Natural  Philosophy,  and  hope  to  distinguish 
myself  in  that  branch  as  well  as  others.  Arithmetic  I 
have  reviewed,  and  shall  commence  French  immediately 
with  the  professor  here.  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  get  in 
with  a  Mrs.  Brice,  a  remarkably  clever  woman,  with  whom 
I  live  very  well  and  contented.  There  are  several  clever 
young  men  boarding  in  this  house,  with  whom  I  asso- 
ciate on  the  most  friendly  terms.  The  mail  is  going 
out,  and  I  have  only  to  add,  that  I  constantly  bear  in 
mind  your  virtuous  precepts,  and  hope  to  benefit  by 
ihem,  and  am  most  sincerely  and  affectionately  yoiu* 

dutiful,  G.  W.  P.  CusTis. 

Geobge  Washington,  Esq. 

Mount  Vernon,  1M  March,  1798. 
Dear  WASmNOTON:  Your  letter  of  the  12th  instant 
has  been  received ;  and  it  gives  me  and  your  friends 


100  CORRESPONDENCE  BETWEEN 

here  much  pleasure*  to  find  that  you  are  agreeably 
fixed,  and  disposed  to  prosecute  your  studies  with  zeal 
and  alacrity. 

Let  these  continue  to  be  your  primary  objects  and 
pursuits ;  all  other  matters  at  your  time  of  life  are  of 
secondary  consideration.  For  it  is  on  a  well-grounded 
knowledge  of  these,  your  respectability  in  maturer  age, 
your  usefulness  to  your  country,  and,  indeed,  your  own 
private  gratification,  when  you  come  seriously  to  reflect 
upon  the  importance  of  them,  will  depend.  The  wise 
man,  you  know,  has  told  us  (and  a  more  useful  lesson 
never  was  taught)  that  there  is  a  time  for  aU  things  ;  and 
now  is  the  time  for  laying  in  such  a  stock  of  erudition  as 
will  effect  the  purposes  I  have  mentioned.  And  above 
all  things,  I  exhort  you  to  pursue  the  course  of  studies 
that  Mr.  McDowell,  of  whom  every  one,  as  well  as  yoiu*- 
self,  speaks  highly,  has  or  shall  mark  out  as  the  most 
eligible  path  to  accomplish  the  end.  It  is  firom  the  ex- 
perience and  knowledge  of  preceptors  that  youth  is  to 
be  advantageously  instructed.  If  the  latter  are  to  mark 
out  their  own  course,  there  would  be  little  or  no  occa- 
sion for  the  former,  and  what  would  be  the  consequence 
it  is  not  diflGicult  to  predict. 

One  or  other  of  the  family  will  expect  to  receive  a 
letter  from  you  once  a  fortnight,  that  we  may  know  how 
you  are  in  health ;  in  addition  to  which,  I  shall  expect  to 
hear  how  you  are  progressing  in  your  studies,  as  time 
advances.  All  here  join  in  best  wishes  for  you,  among 
whom,  your  sister  Peter  is  of  the  number ;  and  you  may 
be  assured  of  the  friendship  of  your  affectionate, 

G.  WASfflNGTON. 
Mr.  G.  W.  p.  CusTis. 


WASHmOTON  AND   CUSTIS.  101 

Annapolis,  April  2d,  1798. 

Dearest  Sm:  Your  letter  arrived  by  the  ordinary 
course  of  mail^  which  goes  by  Baltimore^  and  gave  me 
sincere  pleasure  hearing  you  and  the  family  were  in 
good  health. 

I  was  somewhat  unweU  for  some  time  after  coming 
here,  owing  to  the  water,  but  it  is  entirely  removed  now. 
I  am  going  on  with  the  class  in  college  and  attending 
the  French  master,  who  is,  I  believe,  very  competent 
Every  week  we  write  dissertations  on  various  subjects, 
which  are  both  amusing  and  instructive,  and  create  laud- 
able emulation. 

I  am  very  happily  situated,  perhaps  better  than  many 
others ;  and  could  a  repetition  of  those  sentiments  I  have 
always  avowed  express  my  gratitude  and  obligations  to 
you,  they  should  be  here  expressed ;  but  it  is  sufficient 
that  they  are  indelibly  engraven  on  my  mind,  and  can 
never  be  erased  while  the  principles  on  which  they  are 
grounded  exist.  These  principles  are  innate.  What 
could  be  a  greater  misfortune  to  me  than  yom*  displeas- 
ure !     What  a  greater  happiness  than  your  confidence ! 

I  find  that  young  M.  C.  has  been  at  Mount  Vernon, 
and  report  says,  to  address  my  sister.  It  may  be  well  to 
subjoin  an  opinion,  which  I  believe  is  general  in  this 
place,  viz.,  that  he  is  a  young  man  of  the  strictest  probity 
and  morals,  discreet  without  closeness,  temperate  with- 
out excess,  and  modest  without  vanity;  possessed  of 
those  amiable  qualities  and  fiiendship  which  are  so  com- 
mendable, and  with  few  of  the  vices  of  the  age.  In 
short,  I  think  it  a  most  desirable  match,  and  wish  that  it 
may  take  place  with  all  my  heart. 

I  have  received  every  kindness  from  the  citizens  of 


102  OORRESPONDENOB  BETWEEN 

Annapolis,  and  could  anything  heighten  my  opinion  of 
your  character,  it  would  be  their  expressions  of  esteem 
and  regard.  Adieu,  dearest  sir,  and  believe  me  sincerely 
and  affectionately  yours, 

G.  W.  P.  CDsm 
George  Washington,  Esq. 

Mount  Vernon,  15th  April,  1798. 

Deab  Washington  :  Your  letter  of  the  2d  instant  came 
duly  to  hand,  and  gave  us  pleasure  (as  you  may 
naturally  conceive  from  our  solicitude  for  your  well- 
doing) at  hearing  that  you  had  got  over  a  short  in- 
disposition; was  happy  in  your  present  situation;  and 
going  on  well  in  your  studies.  Prosecute  these  with 
diligence  and  ardor,  and  you  will,  sometime  hence,  be 
more  sensible  than  now  of  the  rich  harvest  you  will 
gather  from  them. 

It  gave  us  pleasure,  also,  to  hear  that  you  are  kindly 
treated  by  the  families  in  Annapolis.  Endeavor  by  a 
prudent,  modest,  and  discreet  conduct,  to  merit  a  con- 
tinuance of  it,  but  do  not  suffer  attentions  of  this  sort  to 
withdraw  you  from  your  primary  pursuits. 

Young  Mr.  C came  here  about  a  fortnight  ago  to 

dinner,  and  left  us  next  morning  after  breakfasi  If  his 
object  was  such  as  you  say  has  been  reported,  it  was  not 
declared  here ;  and  therefore,  the  less  is  said  upon  the 
subject,  particularly  by  your  sister's  friends,  the  more 
prudent  it  will  be  until  the  subject  develops  itself  more. 

The  family  at  this  place  are  much  as  usual;  your 
sister  Peter,  and  her  children  are  here,  and  Mr.  Peter 
occasionally  so.  Dr.  Stuart  is  also  here  at  present,  and 
informs  us  that  your  mother  and  the  family  (one  of  your 
sisters  excepted)  are  very  well.    Mr.  Law  has  been  here. 


WASHmQTQN  AND   CUSTIS.  103 

and  leaving  Mrs.  Law  at  Baltimore,  went  back  for  her, 
aiid  is  not  returned  that  we  have  heard  of.  This  is  all 
the  domestic  news  which  occurs  to  me ;  and,  therefore, 
with  every  good  wish  of  those  I  have  enumerated,  and 
particularly  the  blessings  of  your  grandmamma, 

I  remain,  your  sincere  friend,  and  affectionate, 

G.   WASfflNOTON. 
To  Mr.  Washington  Custis. 

Annapolis,  Ma^  5th,  1798. 

Dearest  Sm :  Colonel  Fitzgerald  arrived  here  about  an 
hour  ago,,  and  has  poKtely  offered  to  convey  a  letter  to 
you.  Nothing  material  has  occurred  since  my  last  letter, 
only  that  we  now  attend  college  at  six  in  the  morning, 
which  is  by  no  means  disagreeable,  and  conduces  to 
health. 

With  respect  to  what  I  mentioned  of  Mr.  C in 

my  last^  I  had  no  other  foundation  but  report,  which  has 
since  been  contradicted.  All  the  families  in  this  town  in 
which  I  visits  express  the  highest  esteem  and  veneration 
for  your  character,  which  conduces,  in  great  measure,  to 
the  satisfaction  I  feel  in  their  company. 

All  is  well  at  present  I  have  found  no  inconvenience 
lately  from  the  water,  which  affected  me  at  firsi  I  at- 
tend college  regularly,  and  am  determined  that  nothing 
shall  alienate  my  attention. 

Adieu,  dearest  sir,  may  heaven  proportion  her  reward 
to  your  meritj  is  the  sincere  and  ardent  prayer  of, 

Geo.  W.  p.  Custis. 

P.  S. — I  would  thank  you  to  inform  me  to  whom  I  am 
to  apply  for  money  in  case  of  want. 
Gbo.  Washington,  Esq. 


104  CORBESPONDENOE  BETWEEN 

Mount  Verkon,  10^  May^  1798. 

Deab  WASHmoTON :  Your  letter  by  Colonel  Pitzgeral3* 
haa  been  received,  and  I  shall  confine  my  reply,  at  pres- 
ent, to  the  query  contained  in  the  postscript,  viz.,  "to 
whom  I  am  to  apply  for  money  in  case  of  need." 

This  has  the  appearance  of  a  very  early  application, 
when  it  is  considered  that  you  were  provided  very  plenti- 
fully, it  was  conceived,  with  necessaries  of  all  sorts  when 
you  left  this  (two  months  ago  only) ;  had  £L  6.  given 
to  you  by  me,  and  £3.  0.  0.  by  Doctor  Stuart^  as  charged 
in  his  account  against  me  (equal  together  to  between 
9  and  10  lbs.  Maryland  currency)  j  had  a  trunk  purchased 
for  you,  a  quarter's  board  paid  in  advance,  &c.  Except 
for  your  washing,  and  books  when  necessary,  I  am  at  a 
loss  to  discover  what  has  given  rise  to  so  early  a  ques- 
tion. Surely  you  have  not  conceived  that  indulgence  in 
dress  or  other  extravagances  are  matters  that  were  ever 
contemplated  by  me  s&  objects  of  expense ;  and  I  hope 
they  are  not  so  by  you.  As  then  the  distance  between 
this  and  Annapolis  is  short,  and  the  communication  (by 
post)  easy,  regular,  and  safe,  transmit  the  accounts  of 
such  expenses  as  are  necessary,  to  me,  in  your  letters, 
and  a  mode  shall  be  devised  for  prompt  and  punctual 
payment  of  them.  And  let  me  exhort  you,  in  solemn 
terms,  to  keep  steadily  in  mind  the  purposes  and  the  end 
for  which  you  were  sent  to  the  seminary  you  are  now 
placed  at,  and  not  disappoint  the  hopes  which  have  been 
entertained  from  your  going  thither,  by  doing  which, 
you  will  ensure  the  friendship,  &c.,  of, 

G.   WASfflNGTON. 
To  Mr.  Geo.  W.  P.  Custis. 

*  Colonel  Fitzgerald  had  been  one  of  Washington's  favorite  aids. 


WASHINGTON  AND   CUSTI&  105 

Annapolis,  May  26,  1798. 

Deabest  Sm :  Tour  last  letter  axrived  safely,  and  con- 
veyed the  pleasing  intelligence  of  your  health,  a  theme 
always  acceptable  to  my  grateful  heart.  With  respect 
to  my  expenses  I  did  not  mean  to  insinuate  that  I  was 
actually  in  want,  but  supposed  you  had  placed  money  in 
the  hands  of  some  one  to  whom  I  might  apply.  I  have 
opened  accounts  with  a  shoemaker,  tailor,  and  other  per- 
sons from  whom  I  might  want  occasional  articles,  which 
shall  all  be  transmitted  to  you  when  offered.  I  got  some 
nankeen  and  a  gingham  coat^  which,  together,  with  a  hat, 
are  all  the  necessary  articles  I  wanted;  the  hat  might 
have  lasted  longer  had  it  not  been  a  worthless  one.  I 
have  been  very  carefrd  of  my  clothes,  and  frequently  re- 
vise them  myself 

I  now  enter  on  a  subject  which  I  will  endeavor  to 
make  plain.  Far  from  being  addicted  to  dress  and  ex- 
travagance, I  am  not  fond  of  such  things,  and  have  not 
spent  money  in  that  way.  I  confess,  that  when  I  have 
friends  at  my  own  house,  I  like  to  entertain  them  with 
little  superfluities,  but  farther,  I  sacredly  deny  any  dissi- 
pation. I  visit  of  an  evening  among  some  families,  but 
never  dine  out  except  on  Sunday.  I  have  received  that 
attention  from  the  inhabitants  of  this  town  which  claims 
my  sincere  regard,  and  shall  endeavor  by  my  conduct  to 
merit  their  esteem.  General  Stone's  politeness  to  me 
has  been  particular. 

Nothing  material  has  occurred  since  my  last  I  at- 
tend to  my  French  constantly,  with  a  good  teacher,  and 
hope  to  acquire  the  pronunciation.  Adieu,  dear  sir,  and 
believe  me,  ever  dutifully  and  intrinsically  yours, 

G.  W.  P.  CusTis. 
Geo.  Washington,  Esq. 


106  COBBESPONDENCB  BETWEDf 

Mount  Vebnon,  ISth  June,  1798. 
•  Dear  Washington  :  It  is  now  near  five  weeks  since  any 
person  of  this  family  has  heard  from  yon^  though  you 
were  requested  to  write  once  a  fortnight  Knowing  how 
apt  your  grandmamma  is  to  suspect  that  you  are  sick^  or 
that  some  accident  has  happened  to  you,  how  could  you 
omit  this? 

I  have  said  that  none  of  us  have  heard  from  you,  but 
it  behooves  me  to  add,  that  from  persons  in  Alexandria, 
lately  from  Annapolis,  I  ^lave,  with  much  surprise,  been 
informed  of  your  devoting  much  time,  and  paying  much 
attention,  to  a  certain  young  lady  of  that  place.  Know- 
ing that  conjectures  are  often  substituted  for  facts,  and 
idle  reports  are  circulated  without  foundation,  we  are  not 
disposed  to  give  greater  credence  to  these  than  what 
arises  from  a  fear  that  your  application  to  books  is  not 
such  as  it  ought  to  be,  and  that  the  hours  that  might  be 
more  profitably  employed  at  your  studies  are  mispent  in 
this  manner. 

Recollect  again  the  saying  of  the  wise  man,  "  There  is 
a  tune  for  all  things,"  and  sure  I  am,  this  is  not  a  time 
for  a  boy  of  your  age  to  enter  into  engagements  which 
might  end  in  sorrow  and  repentance. 

Yours  affectionately, 

G.  WAflHINaTON. 
Mr.  G.  W.  P.  CusTis. 

Mablbobough,  Jwm  Ylihj  1796. 
Dearest  Sm :  I  received  your  letter  by  mamma  at  this 
place,  where  I  had  come  on  my  uncle's  horses,  and  with 
Mr.  McDowell's  permission,  in  hopes  of  meeting  her. 
She  arrived  the  same  day  that  I  did,  and  informed  me 
particularly  respecting  the  svbjed  of  your  letter,  which 


WASHINGTON  AND   CUSTIS.  107 

appeared  to  set  heavy  on  your  mind.  The  report^  as 
mamma  tells  me,  of  my  bemg  engaged  to  the  yomig  lady  ^ 
in  question,  is  strictly  erroneous.  That  I  gave  her  rea- 
son to  believe  in  my  attachment  to  her,  I  candidly  allow, 
but  that  I  would  enter  into  engagements  inconsistent  with 
my  duty  or  situation,  I  hope  your  good  opinion  of  me 
will  make  you  disbelieve.  That  I  stated  to  her  my  pros- 
pects, duty,  and  dependance  upon  the  absolute  will  of 
my  firiends,  I  solemnly  affirm.  That  I  solicited  her  affec- 
tion, and  hoped,  with  the  approbation  of  my  family,  to 
bring  about  a  union  at  some  future  day,  I  likewise  allow. 
The  conditions  were  not  accepted,  and  my  youth  being 
alleged  by  me  as  an  obstacle  to  the  consummation  of 
my  wishes  at  the  present  time  (which  was  farthest  from 
my  thoughts),  I  withdrew,  and  that  on  fair  and  honorable 
terms,  to  the  satisfaction  of  my  friends. 

Thus  the  matter  ended,  and  should  never  have  pro- 
ceeded so  far  had  I  not  been  betrayed  by  my  own  feel- 
ings. However  rash  and  imprudent  I  may  be,  I  have 
always  remembered  my  duty  and  obligation  to  you, 
which  is  the  guide  of  my  actions.  It  was  this  which 
prevented  my  entering  into  any  engagements  which 
were  not  entirely  conditional. 

To  my  mother  I  disclosed  the  whole  affair,  who  is  now 
perfectly  satisfied ;  and  I  hope  this  small  statement  of 
facts,  which  I  can  confirm,  either  upon  oath  or  the  testi- 
mony of  my  fiiends,  will  eradicate  all  uneasiness  from 
your  mind. 

Let  me  once  more,  sir,  on  the  shrine  of  gratitude, 
plight  my  faith  to  you ;  let  me  unclasp  the  sacred  books 
of  morality  and  lay  my  duty,  nay,  my  all,  at  your  feci 
Tour  beneficence  could  not  enhance  your  virtues ;  on  my 


108  C0BBE8P0NDENGE  BETWEEN 

heart  they  are  engraven  as  the  benefactor,  the  friend^ 
nay,  the  more  than  father  of, 

G.   W.  P.   CUSTK. 
GeOBGE  WASHmOTON,  Esq. 

MoTJWT  Verkon,  18^  June^  1798. 

SxB :  An  ardent  wish  that  young  Custis  should  apply 

closely  to  his  studies,  and  conduct  himself  with  propriety 

under  your  auspices,  induces  me  to  give  you  the  trouble 

of  receiving  these  inquiries,  and  to  know  if  he  is  in  want 

of  anything  that  can  be  provided  for  him  by,  sir. 

Your  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

Geo,  Washington. 
Mr.  McDowell. 

Annapolis,  July  \2th,  1798. 

Deabest  Sm:  Not  receiving  any  favor  from  you  in 
answer  to  my  last,  and  only  a  letter  from  Doctor  Stuart, 
in  which  he  questions  but  little  concerning  the  affair 
which  caused  you  so  much  anxiety,  induces  me  to  hope 
that  both  my  confession  of  the  circumstances  of  the  case, 
and  my  error,  has  obliterated  from  your  mind  all  im- 
favorable  impressions.  Confiding  in  this  hope,  I  again 
submit  myself  to  your  confidence,  and  assure  you,  that 
though  urged  by  imprudence,  I  was  governed  by  duty — 
that  duty  which  I  shall  hold  sacred  in  all  my  walks  of 
life ;  and  let  the  goodness  of  my  heart  but  cover  the  im- 
prudence of  my  actions,  and  I  am  contented.  My  peace 
of  mind,  my  consciousness  of  rectitude,  will  always  be  to 
me  a  sufficient  plea  for  my  actions ;  and  be  assured,  dear- 
est sir,  nothing  can  contribute  more  to  both  than  your 
favor. 

I  have  nearly  finished  the  six  books  of  Euclid,  and  ex- 
pect that  college  will  adjourn  in  a  fortnight    I  can  col- 


WASHINGTON  AND   CUSTI3.  109 

lect  and  forward  all  accounts  as  soon  as  you  shall  think 
fit  to  call  for  the  same,  and  I  hope  that  their  reasonable-. 
ness  will  be  acceptable  to  you. 

I  need  not  congratulate  you  on  an  appointment*  which 
was  always  designed  by  the  Creator  for  one  so  fully 
capable  of  fulfilling  it  Let  an  admiring  world  again  be- 
hold a  Cincinnatus  springing  up  fi^m  rural  retirement  to 
the  conquest  of  nations;  and  the  fiiture  historian,  in 
erasing  so  great  a  name,  insert  that  of  the  ^  Father  of  Ms 
comdryr 

Remember  me  to  all,  and  believe  me  sincerely,  duti- 
fully, and  affectionately  yours, 

Geo.  W.  p.  Custis. 
Gren.  Geo.  WAsmNGxoN. 

The  letter  immediately  preceding  the  following  was 
not  found  in  tiie  package. 

Annapolis,  July  21«f,  1798. 
Dearest  Sm:  By  the  returning  mail  I  heartily  ac- 
knowledge your  last  favor,  and  am  sincerely  happy  in 
having  given  you  full  satisfaction  in  an  affair  so  interest- 
ing, and  mutually  affecting  to  both  my  friends  and  my- 
self I  this  day  finish  the  six  books  of  Euclid,  and  with 
that,  the  coxu^e  marked  out  for  me  while  in  Annapolis. 
College  breaks  up  Monday  week  (the  30th),  and  I  shall 
always  be  ready  when  you  may  send  for  me.  I  shall 
enclose  my  accounts  by  next  post,  so  as  to  be  ready  to 
leave  this  as  soon  as  convenient.  I  would  thank  you  to 
inform  me  whether  I  leave  it  entirely,  or  not,  so  that  I 
may  pack  up  accordingly.  With  sincere  affection  to  all 
friends  I  bid  you  adieu, 

G.  W.  P.  Custis. 

*  As  oommander-in-chief  of  the  provisional  army  of  the  United  States. 


110  GOBRBSPOin)£NCB  BEIWEKN 

Mount  Vernon,  2itk  Jufy^  1798* 
Deak  Washington  :  Your  letter  of  the  2l8t  was  received 
last  night  The  question, "  I  would  thank  you  to  inform 
me  whether  I  leave  it  entirely,  or  not^  so  that  I  may  pack 
up  accordingly,"  really  astonishes  me !  for  it  would  seem 
aa  if  votlmg  I  could  say  to  you  made  more  than  a  mo- 
mentary impression.  Did  I  not,  before  you  went  to  that 
seminary,  and  since  by  letter,  endeavor  to  fix  indelibly 
on  your  mind,  that  the  object  for  which  you  were  sent 
there  was  to  finish  a  coiurse  of  education  which  you  your- 
self were  to  derive  the  benefit  of  hereafter,  and  for  pres- 
sing which  upon  you,  you  would  be  the  first  to  thank 
yoinr  fiiends  so  soon  aa  reason  has  its  proper  sway  in  the 
direction  of  your  thoughts? 

As  there  is  a  regular  stage  between  Annapolis  and  the 
federal  city,  embrace  that  as  the  easiest  and  most  con- 
venient way  of  getting  to  the  latter,  fix)m  whence  Mr. 
Law  or  Mr.  Peter  will,  I  have  no  doubt^  send  you  hither ; 
or  a  horse  might  meet  you  there,  or  at  Alexandriai,  at  an 
appointed  tune. 

The  family  are  well ;  and  I  am,  as  usual,  your  affec- 
tionate, 

G.   WASfflNGTON. 

To  Me.  G.  W.  P.  CusTis. 

ANNAP0Li8»/u/y  23, 1798. 
Dearest  Sm :  Since  my  last  I  have  collected  all  my  ac- 
counts, which  I  transmit  for  yom*  perusal.  The  only 
article  I  apologize  for  is  an  umbreUa,  which  I  was  un- 
avoidably obliged  to  prociu'e,  as  I  lost  one  belonging  to 
a  gentleman.  College  breaks  up*  on  Saturday,  and  I 
shall  be  ready  at  any  time  that  you  may  send.  I  will 
look  over  everything  belonging  to  me  and  have  them 


WASHmOTON  AND   CU8TIS.  Ill 

adjusted.     I  am  very  well,  and  at  variance  with  no  one, 
80  that  I  shall  leave  this  place  just  as  I  first  entered  it 

Believe  me,  dearest  sir,  sincerely  and  affectionately 
yours,  Geo.  W.  P.  Custis. 

6b0.  WASmNGTONy  Esq. 

Mount  Vernon,  BOth  July^  1798. 

Sm :  Being  very  much  engaged  of  late  in  a  manner  I 
little  expected,  I  have  not  only  siiffered  your  favor  of  the 
19th  instant  to  remain  unacknowledged,  but  not  attending 
to  the  time  of  the  vacation  of  St.  John's  college,  I  have 
suffered  that  also  to  arrive,  or  to  approach  too  near  for 
the  enclosed  remittances  to  defray  the  expenses  of  Mr. 
Custis,  before  it  is  probable  he  left  Annapolis. 

Allow  me  the  liberty,  for  this  reason,  to  put  the  ac- 
counts which  he  has  just  transmitted  to  me,  under  cover 
to  you,  with  bank-notes  of  Columbia  for  one  hundred 
dollars,  to  discharge  and  take  a  receipt  thereon,  to  be  re- 
tamed  to  me. 

The  pressure  which  is  upon  me  at  this  time  will  not 
allow  me  to  say  anything  relatively  to  the  course  of 
studies  marked  out  for  Mr.  Custis  when  he  returns  to 
coUege.  I  will  write  more  fuUy  to  you  on  this  subject 
at  a  future  time.    Sir,  I  remain,  your  most  obedient^ 

G.  WASfflNGTON. 
To  Mr.  McDowell. 

MotmT  Vernon,  2d  September ^  1798. 
Sm:  Your  favor  of  the  13th  ultimo,  with  the  accounts, 
came  duly  to  hand,  and  I  thank  you  for  the  trouble  you 
have  had  in  pa3nng  and  taking  receipts  therefor.  The 
small  balance  of  £„  3.  5i  may,  if  you  please,  be  given  to 
Mr.  Custis. 


112  CORRESPONDENCE  BETWEEN 

It  was  my  intention  to  have  written  fully  to  you  by 
the  return  of  this  young  gentleman  to  college,  but  the 
debilitated  state  into  which  I  have  been  thrown  by  a 
fever,  with  which  I  was  seized  on  the  18th,  and  could 
procure  no  remission  of  until  the  25th  past,  renders 
writing  equally  irksome  and  improper. 

Were  the  case  otherwise,  I  should,  I  confess,  be  at  a 
loss  to  point  out  any  precise  course  of  study  for  Mr. 
Custis.  My  views,  with  respect  to  him,  have  already 
been  made  known  to  you,  and,  therefore,  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  repeat  them  on  this  occasion.  It  is  not  merely 
the  best  course  for  him  to  pursue  that  requires  a  con- 
sideration, but  such  an  one  as  he  can  be  induced  to  pur- 
sue, and  wiU  contribute  to  his  improvement  and  the  ob- 
ject in  view.  In  directing  the  first  of  these  objects,  a 
gentleman  of  your  literary  discernment  and  knowledge 
of  the  world,  would  be  at  no  loss,  without  any  suggestions 
of  mine,  if  there  was  as  good  a  disposition  to  receive,  as 
there  are  talents  to  acquire  knowledge;  but  as  there 
seems  to  be  in  this  youth  an  unconquerable  indolence  of 
temper,  and  a  dereliction,  in  fact,  to  all  study,  it  must 
Test  with  you  to  lead  him  in  the  best  manner,  and  by  the 
easiest  modes  you  can  devise,  to  the  study  of  such  useful 
acquirements  as  may  be  serviceable  to  himself,  and  event- 
ually beneficial  to  his  country. 

French,  from  having  become  in  a  manner  the  universal 
language,  I  wish  him  to  be  master  of,  but  I  do  not  find, 
from  inquiry,  that  he  has  made  much  progress  in  the  study 
yet  Some  of  the  practical  branches  of  mathematics,  par- 
ticularly surveying,  he  ought^  possessor  as  he  is  of  large 
landed  property,  to  be  well  acquainted  with,  as  he  may 
have  frequent  occasion  for  the  exercise  of  that  study. 


WASHINaTON  AND   CUSTIS.  113 

I  have  already  exceeded  the  limit  I  had  prescribed  to 
myself  when  I  began  this  letter,  but  I  will  trespass  yet  a 
little  more,  while  I  earnestly  entreat  that  you\will  ex- 
amine him,  as  often  as  you  can  make  it  convenient,  your- 
self; and  admonish  him  seriously  of  his  omissions  and  de- 
fects J  and  prevent,  as  much  as  it  can  be  done,  without  too 
rigid  a  restraint,  a  devotion  of  his  time  to  visitations  of 
the  families  in  Annapolis  j  which,  when  carried  to  excess, 
or  beyond  a  certain  point,  can  not  but  tend  to  divert  his 
mind  from  study,  and  lead  his  thoughts  to  very  different 
objects.  Above  all,  let  me  request,  if  you  should  per- 
ceive any  appearance  of  his  attaching  himself,  by  visits 
or  otherwise,  to  any  young  lady  of  that  place,  that  you 
would  admonish  him  against  any  such  step,  on  accoimt 
of  his  youth  and  incapability  of  appreciating  all  the  re- 
quisites for  a  connexion  which,  in  the  common  course  of 
things,  can  terminate  with  the  death  of  one  of  the  parties 
only;  and,  if  done  without  effect,  to  advise  me  thereof 
If,  in  his  reading,  he  was  to  make  common-place  notes, 
as  is  usual,  copy  them  fair  and  show  them  to  you,  two 
good  purposes  would  be  answered  by  it.  You  would  see 
with  what  judgment  they  were  done,  and  it  might  tend 
much  to  improve  his  hand-writing,  which  requires  nothing 
but  care  and  attention  to  render  it  good.  At  present^ 
all  of  his  writing  that  I  have  seen  is  a  hurried  scrawl,  as 
if  to  get  to  the  end  speedily,  was  the  sole  object  of  writing. 

With  sincerest  esteem  and  regard,  I  am,  sir,  yoxn*  obe- 
dient servant, 

Geo.  WAsmNGTON. 

P.  S. — ^Knowledge  of  book-keeping  is*  essential  to  all 
who  are  under  the  necessity  of  keeping  accoimts. 
Mr.  McDowell. 

8 


114  CORRESPONDENCE  BETWEEN 

Mount  Vernon,  16M  September^  1798. 

Sm :  The  enclosed  was  written  at  the  time  of  its  date, 
and,  with  Mr.  Custis,  I  expected  would  have  left  this  the 
next  morning  for  St  John's  college ;  but  although  he  pro- 
fessed his  readiness  to  do  whatever  was  required  of  him, 
his  unwillingness  to  return  was  too  apparent  to  afford 
any  hope  that  good  would  result  from  it  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  his  studies.  And,  therefore,  as  I  have  now  a  gen- 
tleman living  with  me  who  has  abilities  adequate  thereto, 
will  have  sufficient  leisure  to  attend  to  it,  and  has  prom- 
ised to  do  so  accordingly,  I  thought  best>  upon  the  whole, 
to  keep  him  here. 

He  returns  to  Annapolis  for  the  purpose  of  bringing 
back  with  him  such  articles  as  he  left  there,  and  dis- 
charging any  accounts  which  may  have  remained  unpaid. 
With  great  esteem  and  regard,  I  am,  sir,  your  most  obe- 
dient servant,  G.  Washington. 

Mr.  McDowell. 

Mount  Vernon,  Jctnuary  22, 1799. 

Deab  Sm :  Washington  leaves  this  to-day  on  a  visit  to 
Hope  Park,*  which  will  afford  you  an  opportunity  to  ex- 
amine the  progress  he  has  made  in  the  studies  he  was 
directed  to  pursue. 

I  can,  and  I  believe  I  do,  keep  him  in  his  room  a  cer- 
tain portion  of  the  twenty-four  hours,  but  it  will  be  im- 
possible for  me  to  make  him  attend  to  his  books,  if  in- 
clination on  his  part  is  wanting;  nor  while  I  am  out  if  he 
chooses  to  be  so,  is  it  in  my  power  to  prevent  it  I  will 
not  say  this  is  the  case,  nor  will  I  run  the  hazard  of  do- 
ing him  injustice,  by  saying  he  does  not  apply  as  he 
ought  to  what  has  been  prescribed,  but  no  risk  will  be 

*  The  residence  of  his  mother's  family. 


WASHINGTON  AND   CU8TIB.  115 

run^  and  candor  requires  I  should  declare  it  as  my  opin- 
ion, that  he  will  not  derive  much  benefit  in  any  course 
which  can  be  marked  out  for  him  at  this  place,  without 
an  abk  preceptor  always  with  him. 

What  is  best  to  be  done  with  him  I  know  not  My 
opinion  always  has  been,  that  the  university  in  Massa- 
chusetts would  have  been  the  most  eligible  seminary  to 
have  sent  him  to ;  firsts  because  it  is  on  a  larger  scale 
than  any  other ;  and,  secondly,  because  I  believe  that  the 
habits  of  the  youth  there,  whether  from  the  discipline  of 
the  school,  or  the  greater  attention  of  the  people  gen- 
erally to  morals,  and  a  more  regular  course  of  life,  are 
less  prone  to  dissipation  and  excess  than  they  are  at  the 
colleges  south  of  it  It  may  be  asked,  if  this  was  my 
opinion,  why  did  I  not  send  him  there  ?  The  answer  is 
as  short  as  to  me  it  was  weighty :  being  the  only  male  of 
his  line,  and  knowing  (although  it  would  have  been  sub- 
mitted to)  that  it  would  have  proved  a  heart-rending 
stroke  to  have  him  at  that  distance,  I  was  disposed  to 
try  a  nearer  seminary,  of  good  repute,  which,  from  some 
cause,  or  combination  of  causes,  has  not,  after  the  experi- 
ment of  a  year,  been  found  to  answer  the  end  that  was 
contemplated.  Whether  to  send  him  there  now,  or,  in- 
deed, to  any  other  public  school,  is,  indeed,  problematical, 
and  to  mispend  his  time  at  this  place  would  be  disgrace- 
ful to  himself  and  me. 

If  I  were  to  propose  to  him  to  go  to  the  university  at 
Cambridge,  in  Massachusetts,  he  might,  as  has  been  usual 
for  him  on  like  occasions,  say,  he  would  go  wherever  I 
chose  to  send  him,  but  if  he  should  go,  contrary  to  his 
inclination,  and  without  a  disposition  to  apply  himself 
properly,  an  expense  without  any  benefit  would  result 


116  WASfflNOTON   AND   CU8TIS. 

from  the  measure.  Knowing  how  much  I  have  been  diB- 
appointed,  and  my  mind  disturbed  by  his  conduct,  he 
would  not^  I  am  sure,  make  a  candid  disclosure  of  his 
sentiments  to  me  on  this  or  any  other  plan  I  might  pro- 
pose for  the  completion  of  his  education,  for  which  rea- 
son, I  would  pray  that  you  (or  perhaps  Mrs.  Stuart  could 
succeed  better  than  any  one)  would  draw  from  him  a 
frank  and  explicit  disclosure  of  what  his  own  wishes  and 
views  are ;  for,  if  they  are  absolutely  fixed,  an  attempt 
to  counteract  them  by  absolute  control  would  be  as  idle 
as  the  endeavor  to  stop  a  rivulet  that  is  constantly  run- 
ning. Its  progress,  while  moimd  upon  mound  is  erected, 
may  be  arrested,  but  this  must  have  an  end,  and  every- 
thing will  be  swept  away  by  the  torrent.  The  more  I 
think  of  his  entering  William  and  Mary,  imless  he  could 
be  placed  in  the  bishop's  family,  the  more  I  am  convinced 
of  its  inutility  on  many  accounts,  which  had  better  be 
the  subject  of  oral  communication  than  by  letter.  I 
shall  wish  to  hear  from  you  on  the  subject  of  this  letter. 
I  believe  Washington  means  well,  but  has  not  resolution 
to  act  well.  Our  kind  regards  to  Mrs.  Stuart  and  family, 
and  I  am,  my  dear  sir. 

Your  obedient  and  affectionate  servant, 

G.  WASfflNGTON. 
Davh)  Stuart,  Esq. 

This  is  the  last  letter  in  the  packet  from  which  the 
foregoing  series  have  been  copied.  The  correspondence 
exhibits  the  old  story  of  a  youth  of  genius  and  fortune 
disappointing  the  hopes  of  his  friends  while  at  college ; 
and  it  presents  Washington  in  a  new  light,  as  exercising 
the  tender  solicitude  of  a  parent 


RECOLLECTIONS  AND  PRIVATE  MEMOIRS 


OF  THE 


LIFE   AND   CHARACTER 


OF 


WASHINaTON. 


EDITOR'S  PREPACR 


It  was  the  priyilege  of  the  writer  to  enjoy  the  friendship  of 
Mr.  Castis,  the  author  of  the  following  Recollections  of  Wash- 
ififftony  for  several  years,  and  to  experience,  on  frequent  occar 
sions,  the  hospitalities  of  Arlington  House,  his  beautiful  seat  on 
the  Potomac,  opposite  the  federal  city.  The  subject  of  his  Rec- 
ollections was  a  frequent  topic  of  conversation,  and  the  writer 
always  expressed  an  earnest  desire  that  Mr.  Cnstis  should  com- 
plete and  prepare  for  publication,  in  book  form,  the  interesting 
work  begun,  many  years  before,  of  recording  what  he  knew  and 
remembered  concerning  the  private  life  of  Washington,  and  some 
of  his  compatriots.  But  his  spirit  was  summoned  from  earth 
before  that  work  was  completed,  and  the  revision  of  what  was 
already  done  was  left  to  other  hands. 

When  invited  by  the  only-surviving  child  of  Mr.  Custis  to  as- 
sist her  in  preparing  his  imperfect  and  unfinished  Recollections 
for  the  press,  by  arranging  them  properly  and  adding  illustrative 
and  explanatory  notes,  the  writer  complied  wich  pleasure,  for 
filial  gratitude  to  the  Father  of  his  Country  seemed  to  demand  the 
dedication  of  whatever  labor  might  be  usefully  employed  in  the 
preservation  of  precious  memorials  of  that  father  which  had  hith- 
erto been  left  in  the  perishable  form  of  newspaper  articles. 

Many  of  the  facts  recorded  in  this  volume  have  already  found 
their  way,  one  by  one,  into  our  histories ;  but  the  great  mass  of 
them  will  be  fresh  to  every  reader,  and  intrinsically  valuable. 

The  illustrative  and  explanatory  notes  have  been  prepared 
with  the  single  purpose  of  instructing',  not  amusing;  and  if,  to 
the  well-informed,  many  of  them  shall  appear  unnecessary,  let  it 
be  remembered  that  it  is  only  the  few  who  are  well  iniformed, 
and  that  the  many  need  instruction. 

Care  has  been  taken  not  to  alter  the  text  as  it  flowed  from  the 
pen  of  the  author,  except  in  the  way  of  verbal  corrections,  occa- 
sionally, and  arrangements  of  the  matter  to  avoid  repetitions  as 


120  editor's  preface. 

far  as  practicable  —  faults  which  are  incident  to  the  production 
of  a  series  of  articles  upon  a  common  topic,  written  at  wide  in- 
terrals,  and  from  memory.  The  business  of  the  editor  has  been 
to  arrange  and  illustrate,  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  best 
judgment,  the  materials  placed  in  his  hands  by  the  family  of  the 
author. 

A  few  words  concerning  the  history  of  these  Recollections 
may  not  be  without  interest.  When  Li^ayette  visited  the  United 
States,  in  1824  and  1825,  as  the  guest  of  the  nation,  Mr.  Custis, 
who  had  been  the  intimate  companion  of  the  marquis's  son, 
George  Washington  Lafayette  (who  accompanied  him),  when  at 
Mount  Vernon,  under  the  care  of  Washington,  in  1797,  spent 
much  time  with  that  illustrious  man.  After  his  departure,  he 
wrote  a  series  of  interesting  articles  under  the  title  of  Conver- 
sations  with  Lafayette.  These  were  published  in  the  Alexan- 
dria Gazette^  and  attracted  much  attention.  Among  those  who 
were  specially  interested  in  them,  was  John  F.  Watson,  Esq., 
the  now  venerable  annalist  of  Philadelphia  and  New  York.  He 
wrote  to  Mr.  Custis  in  September,  1825,  urging  him  to  answer 
publicly  a  series  of  questions  which  he  proposed  to  write,  and 
which  would,  if  fully  answered,  "  go  more,"  as  Mr.  Watson  said, 
"  to  develop,  as  by  moral  painting,  the  individual  character  of 
General  and  Mrs.  Washington,  as  they  appeared  in  domestic  and 
every-day  life,  than  all  that  had  ever  been  published." 

Mr.  Custis  answered  Mr.  Watson's  letter  a  week  afterward, 
and  assured  him  that  as  soon  as  he  had  completed  his  Conversa- 
tions with  Lafayette^  of  which  the  thirteenth  number  was  just 
then  finished,  he  should  commence  the  publication  of  Recollec 
tions  of  Washington  in  the  United  States  Gazette,  printed  at 
Philadelphia — a  paper  which  he  had  often  seen  the  first  presi- 
dent ^^dry  on  his  knee"  as  it  came  fresh  from  the  press.  The 
first  number,  entitled  The  Mother  of  Washington,  appeared  in 
that  paper.  The  remainder  of  the  series,  except  two  numbers, 
were  first  published  in  the  National  Intelligencer.  Such,  in 
brief,  is  the  history  of  the  origin  of  these  Recollections,  as  given 
to  the  writer  by  the  venerable  annalist  above  mentioned,  in 

May,  1859. 

B.  J.  L. 

FouoHKESPSiB,  Anguat,  1S69. 


AUTHOR'S   PREFACE. 


It  is  the.  public  lives  of  great  men  that  are  commonly 
given  to  the  world ;  and  with  all  the  glare  which  may 
dazzle  and  surprise.  It  will  be  the  duty  of  the  writer  of 
the  following  pages  to  withdraw  the  curtain,  and,  in  some 
views  of  the  private  life  of  the  most  illustrious  of  men, 
to  develop  such  truths  as  shall  be  acceptable  to  the  mind 
and  heart  of  every  true  American. 

Much  anxiety  always  has  existed,  and  always  wiQ 
exists  touching  the  private  lives  and  actions  of  those  who, 
on  the  public  theatre,  have  played  so  many,  such  various, 
and  such  distinguished  parts.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable, 
yet  such  is  the  fact  of  history,  that  when  all  of  the  pub- 
lic life  and  actions  of  a  great  man  have  been  published 
to  the  world,  the  world  invariably  demands  the  private 
memoirs.  The  celebrated  Montesquieu  once  asked  an 
English  nobleman  respecting  Sir  Isaac  Newton :  "  Pray, 
my  lord,  does  the  great  Newton  eat,  drink,  and  sleep  like 
other  men  ?" 

The  interesting  and  authentic  private  memoirs  of  the 
Father  of  his  Country,  which  form  this  voliune,  are  de- 
rived from  the  relations  of  those  who  were  the  associates 
of  his  juvenile  years,  his  comrades  in  war,  and  the  friends 
of  his  fireside  in  peace.  Concerning  his  domestic  habits 
and  manners ;  the  routine  of  his  methodical  life ;  what 


122  author's  pbefack 

he  said  and  did,  when  he  retired  from  public  cares  and 
duties,  in  the  evening  of  his  glorious  day,  I  aught  to  know 
nmch.  Taken  from  my  orphaned  cradle  to  his  paternal 
arms,  nourished  at  his  board,  cherished  in  his  bosom,  from 
childhood  to  manhood,  I  ought  to  know  something  of  the 
First  President  of  the  United  States,  and  the  illustrioiis 
Parmer  of  Moimt  Vernon. 

I  write  of  him  who  fills  so  large  a  space  in  the  best 
recollections  of  the  world ;  whose  fame,  pure,  venerable, 
and  time-honored,  will  descend  to  the  latest  posterity, 
like  the  ceaseless  stream  which  washes  the  base  of  his 
sepulchre,  whose  majestic  course  neither  rival  currents 
can  disturb,  nor  the  waste  of  ages  can  impair. 

The  first  paper  in  the  series  of  these  RecoUecUom  and 
Private  Memoirs  of  the  Life  and  Character  of  WasMnfftoriy 
contains  a  sketch  of  The  Mother  of  WASHmoTON — that 
distinguished  woman,  whose  peculiar  cast  of  character, 
whose  precepts  and  discipline  in  the  education  of  her  il- 
lustrious son,  were  by  himself  acknowledged  to  have  been 
the  foundation  of  his  fortune  and  his  fame. 

The  principal  facts  I  derived  from  Lawrence  and  Robin 
Washington,  Esqrs.,  of  Chotank,  the  associates  of  the 
chief  in  early  life,  at  the  maternal  mansion  on  the  Rap- 
pahannock; and  from  Bishop,  his  military  servant  and 
humble  friend  in  the  war  of  '55-'56,  who  helped  him  to 
his  last  horse  on  the  field  of  Braddock,  when  death  gath- 
ered so  many  sheaves  to  the  gamer,  and  when,  in  the 
prophetic  words  of  the  Indian  commander,  in  reference 
to  Washington,  "the  Great  Spirit  protected  that  man, 
that  he  might  become  the  Chief  of  Nations." 

The  veteran  Bishop  died  at  Mount  Vernon  at  a  very 
advanced  age,  having  long  been  settled  in  the  midst  of 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE.  123 

his  descendants,  and  with  every  possible  comfort  about 
him.  It  was  while  sitting  upon  his  knee,  in  the  days  of 
my  childhood,  that  I  often  heard  the  old  man  relate  the 
events  of  the  Indian  wars,  and  have  seen  him  raise  his 
withered  arm,  while  his  faded  eye  lighted  up,  when  de- 
scribing the  memorable  and  heroic  achievements  of  his 
patron  and  commander. 

From  Dr.  James  Craik,  also,  whose  commission  was 
signed  on  the  same  day  with  that  of  Washington,  as  pro- 
vincial major,  I  received  many  and  important  facts.  He 
and  Washington  were  comrades  and  fellow-captives  at 
the  affair  of  the  Meadows,  in  '55  j  were  associated  in  the 
War  of  the  Revolution,  and  bosom  friends  always ;  and  it 
was  the  fortune  of  Craik  to  receive  the  Patriot's  last  sigh 
at  Mount  Vernon  in  1799,  after  an  affectionate  inter- 
course of  almost  half  a  century. 

The  labor  of  America's  distinguished  historians  have 
given  to  this  coimtry  and  the  world  the  life  and  actions 
of  Washington,  as  connected  with  the  age  in  which  he 
flourished,  and  the  mighty  events  thereof,  in  which  he 
bore  so  prominent  and  illustrious  a  part  It  has  become 
the  honored  duty  of  the  author  of  the  Recollections  to 
lift  the  veil  that  always  conceals  the  private  life  of  a  great 
man  from  the  public  gaze,  and  to  show  the  Pater  PatriaB 
amid  the  shades  of  domestic  retirement,  where,  in  the 
bosom  of  his  family,  on  the  farm,  and  at  his  fireside,  friend- 
ship, kindliness,  and  hospitality  shed  their  benignant  lus- 
tre upon  his  latter  days. 

Long  years  have  elapsed  since  the  first  of  these  JRecol- 
lections  were  offered  to  the  public.  In  answer  to  numer- 
ous inquiries  why  they  have  not  been  published  in  book- 
form,  the  author  begs  leave  to  observe  that,  having  no 


124  author's  pkefage. 

views  as  to  profit,  he  was  desirous  that  the  Private 

Memoirs  should  go  to  the  masses  of  the  people  in  the 

cheapest  and  most  diffusible  manner  practicable. 

If  it  has  appeared  to  any  that  the  JRecoUecHom  have 

embraced  particulars  too  minute,  the  author^s  apology  is 

in  various  letters,  received  both  from  at  home  and  abroad, 

urging  him  to  omit  no  ddaUj  however  rnmde^  or  deem  arufthing 

trimij  that  related  in  the  emaUest  degree  to  the  Ufe  and  character 

of  WaehkigUm. 

G.  W.  P.  C. 

Ablington  House,  near  Alexandbia,  Ya.,  1856. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  L 

THE  MOTHER   OF  WASHINGTON. 

Th«  WASBnraTOR  Family  is  YxBoufiA—WASimraTOR's  Eablt  Yoitth— Hm  Mothxb'b 
Familt— Hke  Chasaotxb  A3n>  Ikvlitshoe— Tm  Horn  or  Washinoton—  Thk  Wild 
Horn— Yomra  Waskxicotoh'b  TBUTnruLNxss  —  Hn  Mormx  at  Fbxdesicksbubo  —  Fio- 
Tuxx  or  KKB  Lira  thsxs — Ah  Alask  in  WAsmnoTOH's  Oahp — Hn  Mothkb'b  Maic  AaixsKT 
or  AirAiis— HxB  IsDiriXBT,  Eoohoxt,  and  Chabitt— Hxb  Ihdkpsnpxkos— Hie  fxax  or 
LxoozKiHG— BxGSPTZox  or  Washikotox  aiteb  hib  Yiotoet  at  Yoektowk— Hn  Filial 
Bktxbxnoe— Admieatiox  or  the  Fobxion  Offioebs— Latatzttb— Washinotoiv'b  labt 

IirTEBYIBW  WITH  HIB  MOTBEE  —  HEB  DeATH  —  HbE  MONTTUZirT. 

Of  the  remote  ancestors  of  the  chief,  our  recollections 
will,  of  necessity,  be  limited.  The  great-grandfather, 
John  Washington,  came  from  England  (from  Chester,  it 
is  believed)  at  about  the  time  of  the  early  settlers  in  the 
northern  neck  of  Virginia,  but  the  place  of  his  first  resi- 
dence is  imknown,  though  it  has  been  a  matter  of  con- 
siderable research  to  his  descendants.* 

*  He  came  with  his  brother  Lawrence  about  the  year  1657,  and  settled  near  the 
Potomac,  between  Pope's  and  Bridge's  creeks,  in  the  conntj  of  Westmoreland. 
Having  a  knowledge  of  military  matters,  he  was  employed,  soon  after  his  arrival,  in 
the  command  of  the  militia,  against  the  Indians,  with  the  rank  of  colonel.  He  was  thns 
employed  jost  previous  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  domestic  broils  in  Virginia,  known 
in  history  as  Bacon's  RAdUon,  He  married  Anne  Pope,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons. 
One  of  these  (Lawrence)  married  Mildred  Warner,  of  Gloucester  county,  and  had 
three  children.    Her  second  was  Augustme,  the  father  of  George  Washington. 

The  following  letter,  translated  from  the  German,  contains  some  interesting  par- 
dcalars  respecting  a  branch  of  the  Washington  family.    The  letter  fh>m  General 


126  RECOLLECTIONS   OP  WASHINGTON. 

Augustine  Washington,  the  father,  we  find  settled  near 
Pope's  creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Potomac,  in  the  county  of 
Westmoreland,  and  there  the  great  chief  was  bom,  on  the 

Wabhiitotoii,  to  which  the  writer  alludes,  may  be  seen  in  Sparks's  lifi  and 
Writings  of  Washington,  vol.  xi.  p.  393 ;  and  other  particnlan  concerning  the  family 
in  vol.  i.  p.  554.  James  Wabhinoton  is  there  mentioned  as  having  been  a  mer- 
chant in  Rotterdam  :— 

''Munich,  February  21,  1844. 

**  Honored  Sik  :  It  was  not  till  the  17th  of  this  month  that  I  received  jonr  favor 
of  December  13th ;  I  could  not,  therefore,  answer  it  earlier.  In  compliance  with 
your  wish  I  will,  with  pleasure,  communicate  to  you  some  facts  relating  to  my  family. 
The  branch  from  which  I  am  descended  has  undoubtedly  the  same  ancestor  as  that 
from  which  the  American  branch  descended,  which  is  proved  also  by  the  same  coat- 
of-arms. 

"  The  family  of  Washington  is  descended  from  a  good  old  English  family,  which, 
in  early  times,  owned  considerable  possessions  in  the  counties  of  York  and  North- 
ampton, and  in  other  places.  It  became  connected,  by  marriage,  with  the  family  of 
Shirley,  Earl  Ferrers.  Sir  Lawrence  Washington  married  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of 
the  second  Earl  Ferrers.  It  was  also  connected  with  that  of  VilUers,  duke  of  Buck- 
ingham. A  branch  of  the  family,  from  unknown  causes,  for  they  were  wealthy, 
emigrated  about  the  year  1650  to  America;  and  the  well-known  (one  may  say  with 
truth  the  universally  famous)  General  and  President  George  Washington  was  de- 
scended from  it. 

"  My  great-grandfather,  James  Washington,  was  so  deeply  implicated  in  the  un- 
fortunate affair  of  the  duke  of  Monmouth,  in  the  time  of  Charles  II.,  1683  and  1684, 
that  he  was  obliged  to  fly  from  England,  and,  after  losing  by  shipwreck  on  the  coast 
of  Portugal  everything  of  his  personal  property  that  ho  had  been  able  to  carry  away 
from  England,  he  came  to  Holland.  While  there,  he  was  frequently  demanded  on 
the  part  of  England  by  its  ambassador,  and  his  delivery  insisted  upon ;  but  the  States- 
General  did  not  consent ;  and  thus  he  became  the  founder  of  that  branch  which 
then  began  to  flourish  in  Holland,  and  is  still  in  existence  in  the  persons  of  two  in- 
dividuals, cousins,  lieutenants  in  the  army  and  navy. 

"  I  possess  an  autograph  letter  of  the  great  man,  George  Washington,  from  Mount 
Vernon,  Januajy  20,  1799,  in  which,  among  other  things,  it  is  said :  '  There  can  be 
but  little  doubt,  sir,  of  our  descending  from  the  same  stock,  as  the  branches  of  it 
proceeded  from  the  same  country ;  at  what  time  your  ancestors  left  England  is  not 
mentioned ;  mine  came  to  America  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.' 

"At  the  age  of  sixteen  I  received,  in  1794,  a  commission  in  the  Dutch  service, 
but  was  unwilling  to  serve  the  Bavarian  republic  founded  in  1795;  and,  being  a 
faithful  follower  of  the  house  of  Orange,  I  emigrated.  At  the  formation  of  the  Dutch 
brigade  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  in  the  English  service  in  1799,  I  was  appointed 
lieutenant  in  that  brigade,  until  the  disbanding  of  the  latter,  after  the  peace  of  Amiens, 
in  1803.    A  few  months  later  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  enter  the  Bavarian  service 


THE  MOTHER   OF   WASHINGTON.  127 

eleventh  of  February  (Old  style),  1732.  This  interestr 
mg  spot  is  now  marked  by  a  stone,  placed  there  by  the 
hand  of  filial  afiection  and  gratitude  in  1815.* 

Since  then,  neariy  forty-two  years  have  passed,  of  which  I  have  been  attached  no 
less  than  thirty-seven  years  to  the  moet  high  person  of  the  king,  partly  as  marshal 
of  the  court,  and  partly  as  aid-de-camp. 

"I  have  also  planted  a  stock  in  Bavaria,  which,  if  God  wilf,  is  some  time  to  bear 
good  fnit  to  the  king  and  country.  I  have  three  sons :  the  eldest,  Ludwig,  sixteen 
years  old,  is  a  page  of  his  majesty  ihe  king ;  the  second.  Max,  fourteen  years  old, 
is  pupil  in  the  royal  corps  of  cadets ;  and  the  third.  Earl,  ten  years  old,  frequents 
the  public  school.  By  my  two  marriages  with  daughters  of  families  of  the  highest 
nobility  in  the  land,  my  children  are  placed  in  agreeable  circumstances,  even  when 
I  shall  be  no  more ;  and,  in  this  manner,  this  branch  of  the  family  in  this  new  country 
may  flourish.    God  give  his  blessing  to  it ! 

"It  would  lead  me  too  far  to  enter  into  details  of  my  biography;  for,  being  in 
earlier  years  frequently  exposed  to  the  storms  of  fieite,  brought  on  chiefly  by  revolu- 
tions, and  at  a  later  period  in  important  offices  and  other  relations,  I  could  not  do  it 
without  being  very  long;  and,  since  this  letter  has  already  attained  a  considerable 
extent,  that  which  has  been  said  wilt,  I  hope,  satisfy  you.  I  will  only  add,  in  order 
that  yon  may  become  altogether  acquainted  with  my  situation  here,  that  I  will  sub- 
join to  the  signature  of  my  name  what  is  otherwise  not  usual ;  but  in  this  case,  I 
think,  may  make  an  exception,  because  it  forms  in  a  manner  a  part  of  my  biography. 

"Thanking  you  for  the  literary  production  transmitted  to  me,  which  possesses, 
by  the  preface  of  the  renowned  Professor  Herman,  an  enhanced  value,  I  remain, 
with  sentiments  of  perfect  esteem,  your  devoted, 

"Baboh  Vow  Washxitoton. 
"  Royal  Bavarian  Chamberlain,  Lieutenant-General  and  Aid-de-Camp  to  his  Majesty  ihe 

Kinff,  Commander  of  the  Order  of  Civil  Merit  of  the  Bavarian  Crown,  of  the  Gredt 

Order  of  ihe  Saviour,  of  the  British  Mlitary  Order  of  the  Bath,  Ksnght  of  the  Royal 

French  Order  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  and  Lord  ofNotxing. 

"To  Dr.  J.  G.  FLTJfBL,  ft/ 

"  Consul  of  the  U,  S.  ofN,  America,  in  Leipsic,"  •  \ 

*  In  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Alexandria  Gazette,  dated  Arlington  house,  April 
14,  1851,  Mr.  Custis  gave  the  following  interesting  account  of  the  placing  of  that 
memorial  stone,  with  his  own  hands,  upon  the  spot  where  stood  the  birthplace  of 
Washington : — 

"  Observing  in  your  valuable  journal,  of  a  late  date,  the  notice  of  a  stone  placed 
on  the  ruins  of  the  house  in  which  the  beloved  Washington  first  saw  the  light,  per- 
mit me  to  offer  to  you  a  brief  account  of  that  interesting  event,  as  itoccnrod  six-and- 
thirty  years  ago. 

"In  June,  1815, 1  sailed  on  my  own  vessel,  the  'Lady  of  the  Lake,'  a  fine  top- 
sail schooner  of  ninety  tons,  accompanied  by  two  gentlemen,  Messrs.  Lewis  and 


128  BECOLLECnONS   OP   WASHINGTON. 

Upon  the  father  becoming  engaged  in  the  agency  of 
the  Principe  iron-works,  and  after  the  conflagration  of  his 

Grilles,  bound  to  Pope's  creek,  in  the  county  of  Westmoreland,  cairying  with  us  a 
slab  of  freestone,  having  the  following  inscription  :* — 

HEBE 

THE  llTK  OF  FEBRUABT,  178S,  (Old  Style,) 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

WAS  BOBN. 

Our  pilot  approached  the  Westmoreland  shore  caatiouslj  (as  our  vessel  drew  neariy 

eight  feet  of  water),  and  he  was  but  indifferently  acquainted  with  so  unfrequented  a 

navigation. 

"  We  anchored  some  distance  ftom  the  land,  and,  taking  to  our  boats,  we  soon 
reached  the  mouth  of  Pope's  or  Bridge's  creek,  and  proceeding  upward  we  fell  in  with 
McEenzie  Beverly,  Esq.,  and  several  gentlemen  composing  a  fishing  party,  and  also 
with  the  overseer  of  the  property  that  formed  the  object  of  our  visit  We  were  kindly 
received  by  these  individuals,  and  escorted  to  the  spot,  where  a  few  scattered  bricks 
alone  marked  the  birthplace  of  the  chief. 

"  Desirous  of  making  the  ceremonial  of  depositing  the  stone  as  imposing  as  circum- 
stances would  permit,  we  enveloped  it  in  the  '  star-spangled  banner*  of  our  country, 
and  it  was  borne  to  its  resting-place  in  the  arms  of  the  descendants  of  four  revolu- 
tionary patriots  and  soldiers  —  Samuel  Lewis,  son  of  George  Lewis,  a  captain  in 
Baylor's  regiment  of  horse,  and  nephew  of  Washington;  William  Gbtmbs,  the 
son  of  Benjamin  Grymes,  a  gallant  and  distinguished  officer  of  the  life-guard ;  the 
Captain  of  the  vessel,  the  son  of  a  brave  soldier  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Guilford ; 
and  Gbobob  W.  P.  Custis,  the  son  of  John  Parke  Custis,  aid-de-camp  to  the 
commander-in-chief  before  Cambridge  and  Yorktown. 

"  We  gathered  together  the  bricks  of  an  ancient  chimney  that  once  formed  the 
hearth  around  which  Washington  in  his  infancy  had  played,  and  constructed  a  rude 
kind  of  pedestal,  on  which  we  reverently  placed  the  fibst  stonb,  commending  it  to 
the  respect  and  protection  of  the  American  people  in  general,  and  the  citizens  of 
Westmoreland  in  particular. 

"  Bidding  adieu  to  those  who  had  received  us  so  kindly,  we  re-embarked,  and 
hoisted  our  colors,  and  being  provided  with  a  piece  of  cannon  and  suitable  amuni- 
tion,  we  fired  a  salute,  awakening  the  echoes  that  had  slept  for  ages  around  the 
hallowed  spot ;  and  while  the  smoke  of  our  martial  tribute  to  the  birthplace  of  the 
Pater  Patrice  still  lingered  on  the  bosom  of  the  Potomac,  we  spread  our  sails  to  a 
favoring  breeze,  and  sped  joyously  to  our  homes. 

"  Such  was  an  act  of  filial  love  and  gratitude,  performed  more  than  a  third  of  a 

century  ago ;  such  is  the  history  of  the  fibst  stoitb  to  the  mbmobt  of  Wash- 

ixoTOir. 

"  Health  and  respect,  my  dear  sir, 

"Gbobob  W.  P.  Cubtis." 

*  A  drawing  of  this  stone,  with  the  inscription,  may  be  found  in  Lossing's  Fidd 
Book  of  the  Revolutum. 


TEE  MOTHER  OF  WASHTNGTON.  129 

seat  in  Westmoreland,  he  removed,  with  his  family,  to  a 
situation  near  the  villageof  Fredericksburg  *  where  he  died 
about  middle  age,  universally  esteemed  as  a  man  of  worth 
and  honor,  and  as  a  useful  member  of  society.  He  is 
described  as  having  been  of  fair  complexion,  tall  stature, 
and  manly  proportions. 

At  the  time  of  his  father^s  death,  George  Washington 
was  between  eleven  and  twelve  years  of  age.  He  has 
been  heard  to  say,  that  he  knew  little  of  his  father,  other 
than  a  remembrance  of  his  person,  and  of  his  parental 
fondness.  Of  the  mother,  that  distinguished  woman,  to 
whose  peculiar  cast  of  character,  and  more  than  ancient 
discipline  in  the  education  of  her  illustrious  son,  himself 
ascribed  the  origin  of  his  fortunes  and  his  fame,  we  have- 
much  to  say. 

She  was  descended  from  the  very  respectable  family 
of  Ball,  who  settled  as  English  colonists,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Potomacf  Bred  in  those  domestic  and  independent 
habits,  which  graced  the  Virginia  matrons  in  the  olden 
days,  this  lady,  by  the  death  of  her  husband,  became  in- 
volved in  the  cares  of  a  young  family,  at  a  period  when 

*  A  picture  of  this  dwelling  of  the  Washington  family  may  be  foond  in  Lossing's 
Fidd'Book  of  the  Revolution, 

t  Bishop  Meade  in  his  History  of  Old  Churches,  Ministers,  and  Families  of  Virginia, 
gives  a  description  of  a  picture  of  armorial  bearings  that  he  had  seen,  on  which 
is  a  lion  rampant  with  a  globe  in  his  paws;  a  helmet,  and  shield,  and  vizor;  a  coat- 
of*mail,  and  other  things  betokening  strength  and  conrage ;  and  for  a  motto  words 
from  a  line  of  Ovid — CaLUMQUB  tubbi.  On  the  back  of  the  picture  is  written  — 
"The  coatof-arms  of  Colonel  William  Ball,  who  came  from  England  with  his 
frmily  about  the  year  1650,  and  settled  at  the  mouth  of  Corotoman  river,  in  Lancaster 
county,  Viiginia,  and  died  in  1669,  leaving  two  sons,  William  and  Joseph,  and  one 
dangfater,  Hannah,  who  married  Daniel  Fox.  William  left  eight  sons  (and  one 
daughter)  five  of  whom  have  now  (Anno  Domini,  1779)  male  issue.  Joseph's  male 
issue  is  extinct  General  Geoige  Washington  is  his  grandson,  by  his  youngest 
daughter,  Mary." 

9 


130  KECOLLECnONS  OF  WASHmOTON. 

these  responsibilities  seem  more  especially  to  claim  the 
aid  and  control  of  the  stronger  sex ;  and  it  wais  left  for 
this  remarkable  woman,  by  a  method  the  most  rare,  by 
an  education  and  discipline  the  most  peculiar  and  im- 
posing, to  form  in  the  youth-time  of  her  son  those  great 
and  essential  qualities  which  led  him  on  to  the  glories  of 
his  afterlife.  If  the  school  savored  more  of  the  Spartan 
than  the  Persian  character,  it  was  a  fitter  one  in  which  to 
form  a  hero,  destined  to  be  the  ornament  of  the  time  in 
which  he  floiuished,  and  a  standard  of  excellence  for  ages 
yet  to  come. 

It  was  said  by  the  ancients  that  the  mother  always 
gave  the  tone  to  the  character  of  the  child ;  and  we  may 
be  permitted  to  say,  that  since  the  days  of  antiquity,  a 
mother  has  not  lived,  better  fitted  to  give  the  tone  and 
character  of  real  greatness  to  her  child,  than  her,  whose 
life  and  actions  this  reminiscence  will  endeavor  to  illus- 
trate. 

The  mother  of  Washington,  in  forming  him  for  those 
distinguished  parts  he  was  destined  to  perform,  first 
taught  him  the  duties  of  obedience,  the  better  to  pre- 
pare him  for  those  of  command.  In  the  well-ordered 
domicil,  where  his  early  years  were  passed,  the  levity 
and  indulgence,  conunon  to  youth,  was  tempered  by  a 
deference  and  well-regulated  restraint,  which,  while  it 
curtailed  or  suppressed  no  rational  enjoyment,  usual  in 
the  spring-time  of  life,  prescribed  those  enjoyments  with- 
in the  bounds  of  moderation  and  propriety.  / 

The  matron  held  in  reserve  an  authority,  which  never 
departed  from  her ;  not  even  when  her  son  had  become  the 
most  illustrious  of  men.  It  seemed  to  say,  *^  I  am  your 
mother,  the  being  who  gave  you  life,  the  guide  who  di- 


THE  MOTHER   OF   WASHINGTON.  131 

rected  your  steps  when  they  needed  the  guidance  of  age 
and  wisdom,  the  parental  affection  which  claimed  your 
love,  the  parental  authority  which  commanded  your 
obedience;  whatever  may  be  your  success,  whatever 
your  renown,  next  to  your  God  you  owe  them  most  to 
me."  Nor  did  the  chief  dissent  from  these  truths,  but  to 
the  last  moments  of  the  life  of  his  venerable  parent,  he 
yielded  to  her  will  the  most  dutiful  and  implicit  obe- 
dience, and  felt  for  her  person  and  character  the  most 
holy  reverence  and  attachment 

This  lady  possessed  not  the  ambition  which  is  common 
to  lesser  minds ;  and  the  peculiar  plainness,  yet  dignity 
of  her  habits  and  manners,  became  in  nowise  altered, 
when  the  sun  of  glory  rose  upon  her  house,  in  the  char- 
acter of  her  child.  The  late  Lawrence  Washington,  Esq., 
of  Chotank,  one  of  the  associates  of  the  juvenile  years  of 
the  chief,  and  remembered  by  him  in  his  will,  thus  de- 
scribes the  home  of  the  mother : — 

"  I  was  often  there  with  George,  his  playmate,  school-  \c 
mate,  and  young  man's  companion.  Of  the  mother  I 
was  ten  times  more  afraid  than  I  ever  was  of  my  own 
parents.  She  awed  me  in  the  midst  of  her  kindness,  for  ' 
she  was,  indeed,  truly  kind.  I  have  often  been  present 
with  her  sons,  proper  tall  fellows  too,  and  we  were  all  as 
mute  as  mice ;  and  even  now,  when  time  has  whitened 
my  locks,  and  I  am  the  grand-parent  of  a  second  gener- 
ation, I  could  not  behold  that  remarkable  woman  with- 
out feelings  it  is  impossible  to  describe.  Whoever  has 
seen  that  awe-inspiring  air  and  manner  so  characteristic 
in  the  Father  of  his  Country,  will  remember  the  matron 
as  she  appeared  when  the  presiding  genius  of  her  well- 
ordered  household,  commanding  and  being  obeyed." 


4 


132  .  RBCOLLECnONS   OP  WASHINGTON. 

V 

Of  the  many  anecdotes  touching  the  early  life  of  the 
chief,  we  shall  present  our  readers  with  one  of  no  ordin- 
ary  interest  and  character. 

The  blooded  horse  was  the  Virginian  favorite  of  those 
days  as  well  as  these.  Washington's  niother^  fond  of  the 
animal  to  which  her  deceased  husband  had  been  particu- 
larly attached,  had  preserved  the  race  in  its  greatest 
purity,  and  at  the  time  of  our  story  possessed  several 
young  horses  of  superior  promise. 

One  there  was,  a  sorrel,  destined  to  be  as  famous  (and 
for  much  better  reason)  as  the  horse,  which  the  brutal 
emperor  raised  to  the  dignity  of  consul.  This  sorrel  was 
of  a  fierce  and  ungovernable  nature,  and  resisted  all  atr 
tempts  to  subject  him  to  the  rein.  He  had  reached  his 
fullest  size  and  vigor,  unconscious  of  a  rider;  he  ranged 
free  in  the  air,  which  he  snuffed  in  triumph,  tossing  his 
mane  to  the  winds,  and  spuming  the  earth  in  the  pride 
of  his  freedom.  It  was  a  matter  of  common  remark, 
that  a  man  never  would  be  found  hardy  enough  to  back 
and  ride  this  vicious  horse.  Several  had  essayed,  but 
deterred  by  the  fury  of  the  animal,  they  had  desisted 
from  their  attempts,  and  the  steed  remained  unbroken. 

The  young  Washington  proposed  to  his  companions, 
that  if  they  would  assist  him  in  confining  the  steed,  so 
that  a  bridle  could  be  placed  in  his  mouth,  he  would 
engage  to  tame  this  terror  of  the  parish.  Accordingly, 
early  the  ensuing  morning,  the  associates  decoyed  the 
horse  into  an  inclosure,  where  they  secured  him,. and 
forced  a  bit  into  his  mouth.  Bold,  vigorous,  and  young, 
the  daring  youth  sprang  to  his  unenvied  seat,  and  bidding 
Ids  comrades  remove  their  tackle,  the  indignant  courser 
rushed  to  the  plain. 


THE  MOTHER  OF  WASHINGTON.  133 

As  if  disdaining  his  burden,  he  at  first  attempted  to 
fly,  but  soon  felt  the  power  of  an  arm  which  could  have 
tamed  his  Arab  grandsires,  in  their  wildest  comrse  on 
their  native  deserts.  The  struggle  now  became  terrific 
to  the  beholders,  who  almost  wished  that  they  had  not 
joined  in  an  enterprise,  so  likely  to  be  fatal  to  their 
daring  associate.  But  the  youthful  hero,  that  "spirit- 
protected  man,"*  clung  to  the  furious  steed,  till  centaur- 
like, he  appeared  to  make  part  of  the  animal  itseE 
Long  was  the  conflict^  and  the  fears  of  the  associates  be- 
came more  relieved  as,  with  matchless  skill  the  rider  pre- 
served his  seat,  and  with  unyielding  force  controlled  the 
courser's  rage,  when  the  gallant  horse,  summoning  all  his 
powers  to  one  mighty  efibrt,  reared,  and  plimged  with 
tremendous  violence,  burst  his  noble  heart,  and  died  in 
an  instant 

The  rider,  "alive,  unharmed,  and  without  a  wound," 
was  joined  by  the  youthful  group,  and  all  gazed  upon 
the  generous  steed,  which  now  prostrate,  "  trailed  in  dust 
the  honors  of  his  mane,"  while  from  distended  nostrils 
gushed  in  torrents  the  life-blood  that  a  moment  before 
had  swollen -in  his  veins. 

The  first  surprise  was  scarcely  over,  With  a  what's  to 
be  done  ?  Who  shall  tell  this  tale  ?  when  the  party  were 
summoned  to  the  morning's  meal.  A  conversation,  the 
most  mal  a  propos  to  the  youthful  culprits,  became  intro- 
duced by  the  matron's  asking,  "  Pray,  yoimg  gentlemen, 
have  you  seen  my  blooded  colts  in  your  rambles  ?  I  hope 
they  are  well  taken  care  of;  my  favorite,  I  am  told,  is  as 
large  as  his  sire."     Considerable  embarrassment  being 

*  This  refers  to  a  remarkable  Indian  prophecy,  given  in  a  future  chapter  of  this 
work. 


134  REgOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

observable,  the  lady  repeated  her  question,  when  George 
Washington  replied,  "  Your  favorite,  the  sorrel,  is  dead, 
madam."  ^  Dead,"  exclaimed  the  lady ;  "  why,  how  has 
this  happened  ?"  Nothing  dismayed,  the  youth  continued, 
^  That  sorrel  horse  has  long  been  considered  imgovem- 
able,  and  beyond  the  power  of  man  to  back  or  ride  him ; 
this  morning,  aided  by  my  friends,  we  forced  a  bit  into 
his  mouth ;  I  backed  him,  I  rode  him,  and  in  a  desperate 
struggle  for  the  mastery,  he  fell  under  me  and  died  upon 
the  spot."  The  hectic  of  a  moment  was  observed  to 
flush  on  the  matron's  cheek,  but  like  a  summer  cloud,  it 
soon  passed  away,  and  all  was  serene  and  tranquil^  when 
she  remarked :  "  It  is  well ;  but  while  I  regret  the  loss  of 
my  favorite,  Irefoice  in  my  son,  who  always  speaks  the  tnith" 

At  the  time  of  this  occurrence,  the  figure  of  the  lad 
is  described  by  his  contemporaries  as  being  that  of  the 
athletae  of  the  games.  Although  of  manners  somewhat 
grave  and  reserved,  he  indulged  in  the  gayeties  common 
to  the  youth  at  that  period.  He  particularly  excelled  in 
all  the  manly  exercises,  sought  the  companionship  of  the 
intelligent  and  deserving,  and  was  beloved  and  admired 
by  all  who  knew  him. 

Upon  his  appointment  to  the  office  of  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  American  armies,*  General  Washington,  pre- 

*  Waslungton  wob  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  all  the  forces  raised,  or  to  be 
raised,  for  the  defence  of  the  colonies,  on  the  fifteenth  of  Jane,  1775.  John  Adams 
has  left  on  record  the  following  interesting  particulars  concerning  that  appoint- 
ment : — 

"Every  post  brought  me  letters  from  my  friends,  Dr.  Winthrop,  Dr.  Cooper, 
General  James  Warren,  and  sometimes  from  General  Ward  and  his  aids,  and  Gen- 
eral Heath  and  many  others,  urging,  in  pathetic  terms,  the  impossibility  of  keeping 
their  men  together  without  the  assistance  of  Congress.  I  was  daily  uiging  all  these 
things,  but  wo  were  embarrassed  with  more  than  one  difficulty,  not  only  with  the 
party  in  favor  of  the  petition  to  the  king,  and  the  party  who  were  jealous  of  inde- 


y 


THE  MOTHER   OF  WASHINQTON.  135 

Tiously  to  his  joining  the  forces  at  Cambridge  [July  3, 
1775],  removed  his  mother  from  her  comitry  residence 
to  the  village  of  Fredericksburg,  a  situation  remote  from 
danger,  and  contiguous  to  her  friends  and  relatives, 

pendence,  but  a  third  party,  which  was  a  soathem  party  against  a  northern,  and  a 
jealoasy  against  a  New-England  army  under  the  command  of  a  New-England  gen- 
eral. Whether  this  jealousy  was  sincere,  or  whether  it  was  mere  pride  and  a  haughty 
ambition  of  furnishing  a  southern  general  to  command  the  northern  army,  I  can  not 
say ;  but  the  intention  was  very  visible  to  me  that  Colonel  Washington  was  their  object, 
and  so  many  of  our  stanchest  men  were  in  the  plan  that  we  could  carry  nothing  with- 
out conceding  to  it.  Another  embarrassment,  which  was  never  publicly  known,  and 
which  was  carefully  concealed  by  those  who  knew  it,  the  Massachusetts  and  other 
New-England  delegates  were  divided.  Mr.  Hancock  and  Mr.  Gushing  hung  back, 
Mr.  Paine  did  not  come  forward,  and  even  Mr.  Samuel  Adams  was  irresolute.  Mr. 
Hancock  himself  had  an  ambition  to  be  appointed  commander-in-chief  Whether 
he  thought  an  election  a  compliment  due  to  him,  and  intended  to  have  the  honor  of 
declining  it,  or  whether  he  would  have  accepted  it,  I  know  not.  To  the  compliment 
Ee  had  some  pretensions ;  for,  at  that  time,  his  exertions,  sacrifices,  and  general 
merits  in  the  cause  of  his  country,  had  been  incomparably  greater  than  those  of 
Colonel  Washington.  But  the  delicacy  of  his  health,  and  his  entire  want  of  expe- 
rience in  actual  service,  though  an  excellent  militia  officer,  were  decisive  objections 
to  him  in  my  mind.  In  canvassing  this  subject  out  of  doors,  I  found,  too,  that  even 
among  the  delegates  of  Virginia  there  were  difficulties.  The  apostolical  reasonings 
among  themselves  which  should  be  the  greatest  were  not  less  energetic  among  the 
samts  of  the  Ancient  Dominion  than  they  were  among  us  of  New  Engkind.  In 
several  conversations  I  found  more  than  one  very  cool  about  the  appointment  of 
Washington,  and  particularly  Mr.  Pendleton  was  very  clear  and  full  against  it. 

"  Full  of  anxieties  concerning  these  confusions,  and  apprehending  daily  that  we 
should  hear  very  distressing  news  from  Boston,  I  walked  with  Mr.  Samuel  Adams 
in  the  statehouse-yard  for  a  little  exercise  and  fresh  air  before  the  hour  of  Congress, 
and  there  represented  to  him  the  various  dangers  that  surrounded  ns.  He  agreed 
to  them  all,  but  said,  '  What  shall  we  do  V  I  answered  him  that  he  knew  I  had 
taken  great  pains  to  get  our  colleagues  to  agree  upon  some  plan,  that  we  might 
be  nnanimons;  but  he  knew  that  they  would  pledge  themselves  to  nothing;  but  I 
was  determined  to  take  a  step  which  should  compel  them  and  all  the  other  members 
of  Congress  to  declare  themselves  for  or  against  something.  <  I  am  determined  this 
morning  to  make  a  direct  motion  that  Congress  should  adopt  the  army  before  Boston, 
and  appoint  Colonel  Washington  commander  of  it.'  Mr.  Adams  seemed  to  think 
very  seriously  of  it,  but  said  nothing. 

'*  Accordingly,  when  Congress  had  assembled,  I  rose  in  my  place,  and  in  as  short 
a  speech  as  the  subject  would  admit,  represented  the  state  of  the  colonies,  the  uncer- 
tainty in  the  minds  of  the  people,  their  great  expectation  and  anxiety,  the  distresses 


136  EBCOLLBCnONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

It  waa  there  the  matron  remained  during  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  trying  period  of  the  Revolution.  Directly 
in  the  way  of  the  news,  as  it  passed  from  north  to  south, 
one  courier  would  bring  intelligence  of  success  to  our 
arms,  another  ^  swiftly  coursing  at  his  heels,"  the  sadden- 
ing tale  of  disaster  and  defeat.    While  thus  ebbed  and 

of  the  army,  the  danger  of  its  dissolution,  the  difficulty  of  collecting  another ;  and 
the  prohabiiity  that  the  British  army  wonld  take  advantage  of  oar  delays,  march  oat 
of  Boston,  and  spread  desolation  as  far  as  they  could  go.  I  concluded  with  a  mo- 
tion, in  form,  that  Congress  would  adopt  the  army  at  Cambridge,  and  appoint  a 
general ;  that  though  this  was  not  the  proper  time  to  nominate  a  genera],  yet,  as  I 
had  reason  to  believe  this  was  a  point  of  the  greatest  difficulty,  I  had  no  hesitation 
to  declare  that  I  had  but  one  gentleman  in  my  mind  for  that  important  command, 
and  that  was  a  gentleman  from  Yiiginia,  who  was  among  us,  and  very  well  known 
to  aU  of  us ;  a  gentleman  whose  skill  and  experience  as  an  officer,  whose  independent 
fortune,  great  talents,  and  excellent  universal  character  would  command  the  approba- 
tion of  all  America,  and  unite  the  cordial  exertions  of  all  the  colonies  better  than  anf 
other  person  in  the  Union.  Mr.  Washington,  who  happened  to  sit  near  the  door,  as 
soon  as  he  heard  me  allade  to  him,  from  his  usual  modesty,  darted  into  the  library  room. 
Mr.  Hancock,  who  was  oar  president,  which  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  observe  his 
countenance  while  I  was  speaking  on  the  state  of  the  colonies,  the  army  at  Cambridge, 
and  the  enemy,  heard  me  with  visible  pleasure ;  but  when  I  came  to  describe  Washing- 
ton for  the  commander,  I  never  remarked  a  more  sudden  and  striking  change  of  coun- 
tenance. Mortification  and  resentment  were  expressed  as  forcibly  as  his  face  could 
exhibit  them.  Mr.  Samael  Adams  seconded  the  motion,  and  that  did  not  soften  the 
president's  physiognomy  at  all.  The  subject  came  under  debate,  and  several  gentle- 
men declared  themselves  against  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Washington,  not  on  ao- 
coant  of  any  personal  objection  against  him,  but  because  the  army  were  all  from 
New  England,  had  a  general  of  their  own,  appeared  to  be  satisfied  with  him,  and  had 
proved  themselves  able  to  imprison  the  British  army  in  Boston,  which  was  all  they 
expected  or  desired  at  that  time. 

'*  Mr.  Pendleton,  of  Virginia,  Mr.  Sherman,  of  Connecticut,  were  very  explicit  in 
declaring  this  opinion.  Mr.  Cushing  and  several  others  more  faintly  expressed  their 
opposition,  and  their  fears  of  discontent  in  the  army  and  in  New  England.  Mr. 
Paine  expressed  a  great  opinion  of  General  Ward,  and  a  strong  friendship' for  him, 
having  been  his  classmate  at  college,  or,  at  least,  his  contemporary ;  but  gave  no 
opinion  on  the  question.  The  subject  was  postponed  to  a  future  day.  In  the  mean- 
time, pains  were  taken  out  of  doors  to  obtain  a  unanimity,  and  the  voices  were  gen- 
erally so  clearly  in  favor  of  Washington,  that  the  dissenting  members  were  persuaded 
to  withdraw  their  opposition,  and  Mr.  Washington  was  nominated,  I  believe,  by  Mr. 
Thomas  Johnson,  of  Maryland,  unanimously  elected,  and  the  army  adopted  "— Life 
and  Works  of  John  Adams,  li.  415  to  418,  inclusive. 


THE  MOTHER  OP  WASHINGTON.  137 

flowed  the  fortunes  of  our  cause,  the  mother,  trusting  to 
the  wisdom  and  protection  of  Divine  Providence,  pre- 
served the  even  tenor  of  her  life,  aflFording  an  example 
to  those  matrons  whose  sons  were  alike  engaged  in  the 
arduous  contest ;  and  showing  that  tmavailing  anxieties, 
however  belonging  to  human  nature,  were  unworthy  of 
mothers  whose  sons  were  combatting  for  the  inestimable 
rights  of  mankind,  and  the  freedom  and  happinesa  of  im- 
bom  ages. 

When  the  comforting  and  glorious  intelligence  arrived 
of  the  passage  of  the  Delaware  (Dec.  '76*),  an  event 
which  restored  our  hopes  from  the  very  brink  of  despair, 
a  number  of  her  friends  waited  upon  the  mother  with 
congratulations.  She  received  them  with  calmness ;  ob- 
served that  it  was  most  pleasurable  news,  and  that  George 
appeared  to  have  deserved  well  of  his  country  for  such 
signal  service ;  and  continued,  in  reply  to  the  gratulating 
patriots  (most  of  whom  held  letters  in  their  hands,  from 
which  they  read  extracts,  for  gazettes  were  not  so  plenty 
then  as  now),  ^but,  my  good  sirs,  here  is  too  much 
flattery ;  still  George  will  not  forget  the  lessons  I  early 
taught  him — he  will  not  forget  himself  though  he  is  the 
subject  of  so  much  praise." 

Here  I  will  speak  of  the  absurdity  of  an  idea  which, 
from  some  strange  cause  or  other,  has  been  suggested, 
though  certainly  never  believed,  that  the  mother  of 
Washington  was  disposed  to  favor  the  royal  cause.  Not 
the  slightest  foundation  has  such  a  surmise  in  truth. 
Like  many  others,  whose  days  of  enthusiasm  were  in 
the  wane,  that  lady  doubted  the  prospects  of  success  in 
the  outset  of  the  war,  and  long  during  its  continuance 

*  See  notes  on  the  battle  of  Princeton. 


138  RECOLLECTIONS   OP  WASHINaTON. 

feared  that  our  means  would  be  found  inadequate  to  a 
successful  contest  with  so  formidable  a  power  as  Britain ; 
and  that  our  soldiers,  brave,  but  undisciplined  and  ill  pro- 
vided, would  be  unequcol  to  cope  with  the  veteran  and 
well-appointed  troops  of  the  king.  Doubts  like  these 
were  by  no  means  confined  to  this  Virginia  matron,  but 
were  both  entertained  and  expressed  by  the  ptanchest 
of  patriots  and  the  most  determined  of  men.  When 
that  mother,  who  had  been  removed  to  the  county  of 
Frederick,  on  the  invasion  of  Virginia,  in  1781,  was  in- 
formed by  express  of  the  surrender  of  Comwallis,  she 
raised  her  hands  to  heaven,  and  exclaimed,  "Thank 
God,  war  will  now  be  ended,  and  peace,  independence, 
and  happiness,  bless  our  country." 

The  commander-in-chief  was  absent  from  his  native 
state  from  the  spring  of  75  to  the  fall  of '81,  a  period  of 
nearly  seven  years.  It  was  his  habit  to  send  for  Mrs. 
Washington  at  the  close  of  a  campaign,  and  to  return 
her  to  Moimt  Vernon  on  the  opening  of  an  ensuing  one. 
This  estimable  lady  used  to  observe,  that  she  always 
heard  the  first  cannon  on  the  opening,  and  the  last  at 
the  close  of  the  campaigns  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 

It  happened  that  while  remaining  later  than  usual  in 
the  camp  on  the  Hudson,  an  alarm  was  given  of  the 
approach  of  the  enemy  from  New  York.  The  aids-de- 
camp proposed  that  the  ladies  (these  being  the  wives  of 
Generals  Greene  and  Knox,  and  others  at  headquarters) 
should  be  sent  ofi*  tmder  an  escort  This  the  chief 
refused,  remarking,  the  presence  of  our  wives  will  the 
better  encourage  us  to  a  brave  defence.  On  a  dark 
night,  the  words  of  command  from  the  officers,  the 
marching  of  the  troops,  the  dragging  of  artillery  into  the 


THE  MOTHER  OF  WASHINGTON.  139 

yard,  the  taking  out  of  the  windows  of  the  house,  and  the 
filling  of  the  house  itself  with  soldiers,  '^  all  gave  dread- 
ful note  of  preparation,"  when  the  enemy  finding  them- 
selves mistaken  in  their  hopes  of  surprise,  withdrew 
without  coming  to  blows.* 

During  the  war,  and  indeed  during  her  useful  life,  and 
until  within  three  years  of  her  death,  when  an  afflictive 
disease  prevented  exertion,  the  mother  of  Washington 
set  a  most  valuable  example  in  the  management  of  her 
domestic  concerns,  carrjdng  her  own  keys,  bustling  in 
her  hoTisehold  affairs,  providing  for  her  own  wants,  and 
living  and  moving  in  all  the  pride  of  independence. 
There  are  some  of  the  aged  inhabitants  of  Fredericks- 
burg who  well  remember  the  matron  as,  seated  in  an  old- 
fashioned  open  chaise,  she  was  in  the  habit  of  almost 

*  This  little  episode,  so  abniptlj  introdaced  here,  is  doubtless  one  of  a  series  of 
similar  events  which  took  place  while  the  American  army  lay  at  Morristown,  in 
New  Jersey,  during  the  winter  and  spring  of  1779  and  1780.  The  main  body  of 
the  army  was  encamped  upon  the  southern  slope  of  a  mountain  near  that  village, 
and  until  the  middle  of  February  occupied  tents.  Then  they  were  received  into 
comfortable  huts,  which  they  occupied  until  the  breaking  up  of  the  camp  in  the 
spring.  The  camp  extended  from  the  headquarters  in  the  Ford  mansion,  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  village  of  Morristown,  westward  for  several  miles.  Du- 
ring that  winter,  the  proximity  of  the  army  to^he  enemy  in  New  York  caused  fre- 
quent alarms,  which  usually  set  the  whole  camp  in  motion.  Sentinels  were  set  at 
intervals  between  the  camp  and  headquarters,  and  pickets  were  planted  at  distant 
points  toward  the  Karitan  and  Hudson,  with  intervening  sentinels.  Sometimes  an 
alarm  would  commence  b^  the  firing  of  a  gun  at  some  distant  point.  This  would 
be  responded  to  by  the  sentinels  all  along  the  line  to  headquarters,  when  the 
general's  life-guard  would  rush  to  the  house  of  the  chief,  barricade  the  doors  and 
throw  np  the  windows.  At  each  window  five  soldiers,  with  their  muskets  cocked 
and  brought  to  a  charge,  would  generally  be  placed,  and  there  remain  until  the 
troops  from  the  camp  marched  to  headquarters,  and  the  cause  of  the  alarm  was 
ascertained.  These  occasions  were  very  annoying  to  the  ladies  of  the  household ; 
for,  as  I  was  informed  by  the  late  Judge  Ford  (then  a  boy  fourteen  years  of  age, 
and  living  there),  Mrs.  Washington  and  his  mother  were  obliged  to  lie  in  bed,  some- 
times for  hoars,  with  their  room  full  of  soldiers,  and  the  keen  winter  air  from  the 
open  windows  piercing  through  their  drawn  curtains. 


140  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

daily  visiting  her  little  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town. 
When  there,  she  would  ride  about  her  fields,  giving  her 
orders,  and  seeing  that  they  were  obeyed.  On  one  occa- 
sion an  agent  to  whom  she  had  given  directions  as  to  a 
particular  piece  of  work,  varied  from  his  instructions  in 
its  execution.  The  lady,  whose  coup  d^oeil  was  as  perfect 
in  TXiXBl  aflFairs  as  that  of  her  son  in  war,  pointed  out  the 
error.  The  agent  excused  himself  by  saying,  that  "in 
his  judgment  the  work  was  done  to  more  advantage  than 
it  would  have  been  by  his  first  directions."  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington replied,  "  And  pray,  who  gave  you  any  exercise 
of  judgment  in  the  matter  ?  I  command  you,  sir ;  there 
is  nothing  left  for  you  but  to  obey.*'  i 

Her  great  industry,  with  the  well-regulated  economy 
of  all  her  concerns,  enabled  the  matron  to  dispense  con- 
siderable charities  to  the  poor,  although  her  own  circum- 
stances were  always  far  from  rich.  All  manner  of  domes- 
tic economics,  so  useful  in  those  times  of  privation  and 
trouble,  received  her  zealous  attention;  while  every- 
thing about  her  household  bore  marks  of  her  care  and 
management,  and  very  many  things  the  impress  of  her 
own  hands.  ^ 

In  a  very  humble  dwelling,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-two,  and  suffering  under  an  excruciating  disease 
(cancer  of  the  breast),  thus  lived  this  mother  of  the  first 
of  men,  preserving  imchanged  her  peculiar  nobleness 
and  independence  of  character.  She  was  continually 
visited  and  solaced  by  her  children  and  numerous  grand- 
children, particularly  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Lewis.  To  the 
repeated  and  earnest  solicitations  of  this  lady,  that  she 
would  remove  to  her  house  and  pass  the  remainder  of 
her  days ;  to  the  pressing  entreaties  of  her  son  that  she 


THE  MOTHER  OF  WASHINGTON.  141 

would  make  Mount  Vernon  the  home  of  her  old  age,  the 
matron  replied;  ^I  thank  you  for  your  aflfectionate  and 
dutiM  offers,  but  my  wants  are  few  in  this  world,  and  I 
feel  perfectly  competent  to  take  care  of  myself."  Upon 
her  son-in-law,  Colonel  Fielding  Lewis  proposing  that  he 
should  relieve  her  in  the  direction  of  her  aflfeirs,  she 
observed ;  ^^  Do  you,  Fielding,  keep  my  books  in  order, 
for  your  eyesight  is  better  than  mine,  but  leave  the  ex- 
ecutive management  to  me." 

One  weakness  alone  belonged  to  this  lofty-minded  and 
intrepid  woman,  and  that  proceeded  from  a  most  affect- 
ing cause.  It  was  a  fear  of  lightning.  In  early  life,  a 
female  friend  had  been  kiUed  at  her  side,  while  sitting  at 
the  table,  the  knife  and  fork  in  the  hands  of  the  unfor-  / 
tunate  being  melted  by  the  electric  fluid.  The  matron 
never  recovered  from  the  shock  occasioned  by  this  dis- 
tressing incident  On  the  approach  of  a  thunder-cloud, 
she  would  retire  to  her  chamber,  and  not  leave  it  again 
till  the  storm  had  passed  over. 

Always  pious,  in  her  latter  days  her  devotions  were 
performed  in  private.  She  was  in  the  habit  of  repairing  ^ 
every  day  to  a  secluded  spot,  formed  by  rocks  and  trees 
near  to  her  dwelling,  where,  abstracted  from  the  world 
and  veorldly  things,  she  communed  with  her  Creator  in 
humiliation  and  prayer. 

Late  in  the  year  1781,  on  the  return  of  the  combined 
armies  from  Yorktown,  the  mother  of  Washington  was 
permitted  again  to  see  and  embrace  her  illustrious  son, 
the  first  time  in  almost  seven  years.  As  soon  as  he  had 
dismounted,  in  the  midst  of  a  numerous  and  brilliant 
suite,  after  reaching  Fredericksburg,  he  sent  to  apprize 
her  of  his  arrival,  and  to  know  when  it  would  be  her 


142  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  WASHINGTON. 

pleasure  to  receive  him.  And  now,  reader,  mark  the 
force  of  early  education  and  habits,  and  the  superioriiy 
of  the  Spartan  over  the  Persian  school,  in  this  interview 
of  the  Great  Washington  with  his  admirable  parent  and 
instructor.  No  pageantry  of  war  proclaimed  his  coining, 
no  trumpets  sounded,  no  banners  waved.  Alone  and  on 
foot,  the  general-in-chief  of  the  combined  armies  of 
France  and  America,  the  deliverer  of  his  country,  the 
hero  of  the  age,  repaired  to  pay  his  humble  duty  to  her 
whom  he  venerated  as  the  author  of  his  being — the 
founder  of  his  fortimes  and  his  fame ;  for  foil  well  he 
knew  that  the  matron  was  made  of  sterner  stuff  than  to 
be  moved  by  all  the  pride  that  glory  ever  gave,  and  all 
"  the  pomp  and  circumstance"  of  power. 
/  She  was  alone,  her  aged  hands  employed  in  the  works 
of  domestic  industry,  when  the  good  news  was  announced, 
and  it  was  further  told,  that  the  victor-chief  was  in  wait- 
ing at  the  threshold.  She  bid  him  welcome  by  a  warm 
embrace,  and  by  the  well-remembered  and  endearing 
name  of  George — the  familiar  name  of  his  childhood; 
she  inquired  as  to  his  health,  remarked  the  lines  which 
mighty  cares  and  many  toils  had  made  in  his  manly 
countenance,  spoke  much  of  old  times  and  old  friends, 
but  of  his  glory  not  one  word. 

Meantime,  in  the  village  of  Fredericksburg,  all  was  joy 
and  revelry ;  the  town  was  crowded  with  the  oflBLcers  of 
the  French  and  American  armies,  and  with  gentlemen 
for  many  miles  around,  who  hastened  to  welcome  the 
conquerors  of  Comwallis.*  The  citizens  got  up  a  splendid 
ball,  to  which  the  matron  was  specially  invited.  She 
observed,  that  although  her  dancing  days  were  pretty 

*  See  accoant  of  the  victory  at  Yorktown  in  Chapter  vi. 


THE  MOTHER  OF  WASHINOTON.  143 

well  over,  she  should  feel  happy  in  contributing  to  the 
general  festivity,  and  consented  to  attend. 

The  foreign  officers  were  anxious  to  see  the  mother 
of  their  chief.  They  had  heard  indistinct  rumors  touch- 
ing her  remarkable  life  and  character,  but  forming  their 
judgments  fsx>m  European  examples,  they  were  prepared 
to  expect  iu  the  mother,  that  glitter  and  show  which 
would  have  been  attached  to  the  parents  of  the  great,  in 
the  countries  of  the  old  world.  How  were  they  sur- 
prised, when  leaning  on  the  arm  of  her  son,  she  entered 
the  room,  dressed  in  the  very  plain,  yet  becoming  garb, 
worn  by  the  Virginia  lady  of  the  old  time.  Her  address 
always  dignified  and  imposing,  was  courteous,  though 
reserved.  She  received  the  complimentary  attentions 
which  were  paid  to  her  without  evincing  the  slightest 
elevation,  and  at  an  early  hour,  wishing  the  company 
much  enjoyment  of  their  pleasures,  observed,  that  it  was 
high  time  for  old  folks  to  be  in  bed,  and  retired,  leaning 
as  before  on  the  arm  of  her  son. 

The  foreign  officers  were  amazed  in  beholding  one 
whom  so  many  causes  conspired  to  elevate,  preserving 
the  even  tenor  of  her  life,  while  such  a  blaze  of  glory 
shone  upon  her  name  and  of&pring.  It  was  a  moral 
spectacle  such  as  the  European  world  had  furnished  no 
examples.  Names  of  ancient  lore  were  heard  to  escape 
jfrom  their  lips;  and  they  declared,  "if  such  are  the 
matrons  in  America,  well  may  she  boast  of  illustrious 
sons." 

It  was  on  this  festive  occasion,  that  General  Washing- 
ton danced  a  minuet  with  Mrs,  Willis.  It  closed  his 
dancing  days.  The  minuet  was  much  in  vogue  at  that 
period,  and  was  peculiarly  calculated  for  the  display  of 


144  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

the  splendid  figure  of  the  chiefs  and  his  natural  grace 
and  elegance  of  air  and  manner.  The  gallant  French- 
men who  were  present,  of  which  fine  people  it  may  he 
said  that  dancing  forms  one  of  the  elements  of  their  ex- 
istence^  so  much  admired  the  American  performance,  as 
to  admit  that  a  Parisian  education  could  not  have  im- 
proved it  As  the  evening  advanced,  the  commander-in- 
chief  jdelding  to  the  general  gayety  of  the  scene,  went 
down  some  dozen  couple  in  the  contre  dance  with  great 
spirit  and  satisfaction.* 

PrevioTis  to  his  departure  for  Europe,  in  the  fall  of 
1784,  the  Marquis  de  Lafayettef  repaired  to  Fredericks- 
burg to  pay  his  parting  respects  to  the  mother,  and  to 
ask  her  blessing. 

Conducted  by  one  of  her  grandsons,  he  approached 
the  house,  when  the  young  gentleman  observing,  "  There, 
sir,  is  my  grandmother ;"  the  marquis  beheld,  working  in 
her  garden,  clad  in  domestic-made  clothes,  and  her  gray 
head  covered  by  a  plain  straw  hat,  the  mother  of  "  his 
hero,  his  friend,  and  a  country's  preserver.'*  The  lady 
saluted  him  kindly,  observing,  "  Ah,  marqiiis,  you  see  an 
old  woman ;  but  come,  I  can  make  you  welcome  to  my 
poor  dwelling,  without  the  parade  of  changing  my  dress." 

Much  as  Lafayette  had  seen  and  heard  of  the  matron 

*  The  yenerable  widow  of  General  Alexander  Hamilton,  informed  me,  that 
Washington  was  never  known  to  dance  after  the  close  of  the  Reyolationaiy  war. 
She  was  present  at  many  balls  where  he  attended.  He  would  sometimes  walk 
throngh  a  figure  or  two  with  ladies,  daring  the  evening,  but  never  took  the  steps  of 
the  dance. 

t  Lafayette  revisited  the  United  States  in  1784,  and  with  eager  steps  he  made  his 
waj  to  Mount  Vernon  as  quickly  as  possible,  after  reaching  our  shores.  He  was 
twice  a  guest  with  Washington  during  that  year ;  the  first  time  in  July,  and  the  last 
in  November.  An  account  of  these  visits  will  be  found  in  another  part  of  this 
volume. 


THB  MOTHER  OF  WASHINGTON.  145 

before,  on  this  interesting  interview  he  was  at  once 
charmed,  and  struck  with  wonder.  When  he  considered 
her  great  age,  the  transcendant  elevation  of  her  son, 
who,  surpassing  all  rivals  in  the  race  of  glory,  "  bore  the 
pakn  alone,"  and  at  the  same  time  discovered  no  change 
in  her  plain,  yet  dignified  life  and  manners,  he  became 
assured  that  nature  had  not  cast  this  distinguished 
woman  in  an  ordinary  mould,  and  that  the  Soman 
matron  could  flourish  in  the  modem  day. 

The  marquis  discoursed  of  the  happy  effects  of  the 
Revolution,  and  the  goodly  prospects  which  opened  upon 
regenerated  America ;  spoke  of  his  speedy  departure  for 
his  native  land ;  paid  the  tribute  of  his  heart,  in  his  love 
and  admiration  of  her  illustrious  son ;  and  concluded,  by 
asking  her  blessing.  She  gave  it  to  him,  and  to  the 
encomiums  which  he  had  lavished  upon  his  hero  and 
paternal  chief,  she  replied  in  these  words,  "I  am  not  sur- 
prised at  what  George  has  done,  for  he  was  always  a*" 
very  good  boy." 

Immediately  after  the  organization  of  the  present  gov- 
ernment,* the  chief  magistrate  repaired  to  Fredericks- 
burg, to  pay  his  humble  duty  to  his  mother,  preparatory 
to  his  departure  for  New  York.  An  affecting  scene  en- 
sued. The  son  feelingly  remarked  the  ravages  which 
a  torturing  disease  had  made  upon  the  aged  frame  of  the 
mother,  and  addressed  her  with  these  words :  "  The  peo- 
ple, madam,  have  been  pleased,  with  the  most  flattering 
unanimity,  to  elect  me  to  the  chief  magistracy  of  these 
United  States,  but  before  I  can  assume  the  functions  of 
my  office,  I  have  come  to  bid  you  an  affectionate  fare- 
well    So  soon  as  the  weight  of  public  business,  which 

'•In  the  spring  of  1789 


146  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  WABHmQTON. 

must  necessarily  attend  the  outset  of  a  new  government, 
can  be  disposed  of,  I  shall  hasten  to  Virginia,  and" — 
Here  the  mat3X)n  interrupted  with — "  and  you  will  see 
me  no  more;  my  great  age,  and  the  disease  which  is 
fast  approaching  my  vitals,  warn  me  that  I  shall  not  be 
long  in  this  world ;  I  trust  in  God  that  I  may  be  some- 
what prepared  for  a  better.  But  go,  George,  fulfil  the 
the  high  destinies  which  Heaven  appears  to  have  intended 
you  for;  go,  my  son,  and  may  that  Heaven's  and  a 
mother's  blessing  be  with  you  always." 

The  president  was  deeply  afiected.  His  head  rested 
upon  the  shoulder  of  his  parent,  whose  aged  arm  feebly, 
yet  fondly  encircled  his  neck.  That  brow  on  which 
fame  had  wreathed  the  purest  laurel  virtue  ever  gave  to 
created  man,  relaxed  from  its  lofty  bearing.  That  look 
which  could  have  awed  a  Roman  senate  in  its  Fabrician 
day,  was  bent  in  filial  tenderness  upon  the  time-worn 
features  of  the  aged  matron.  He  wept.  A  thousand 
recollections  crowded  upon  his  mind,  as  memory  re- 
tracing scenes  long  paired,  carried  him  back  to  the 
maternal  mansion  and  the  days  of  juvenility,  where  he 
beheld  that  mother,  whose  care,  education,  and  discipline, 
caused  him  to  reach  the  topmost  height  of  laudable  am- 
bition. Yet,  how  were  his  glories  forgotten,  while  he 
gazed  upon  her  whom,  wasted  by  time  and  malady,  he 
should  part  with  to  meet  no  more.  Her  predictions 
were  but  too  true.  The  disease  which  so  long  had  preyed 
upon  her  frame,  completed  its  triumph,  and  she  expired 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five,  rejoicing  in  the  consciousness 
of  a  life  well  spent,  and  confiding  in  the  belief  of  a  blessed 
immortality. 

In  her  person,  the  matron  was  of  the  middle  size,  and 


THE  MOTHER  OF  WASHINGTON.  147 

well  proportioned;  her  features  pleasing,  yet  strongly 
marked.  It  is  not  the  happiness  of  the  author  to  re- 
member her,  having  only  seen  her  with  infant  eyes. 
The  sister  of  the  chief  he  perfectly  well  remembers. 
She  was  a  most  majestic-looking  woman,  and  so  strikingly 
like  the  brother,  that  it  was  a  matter  of  frolic  to  throw  a 
cloak  around  her,  and  placing  a  military  hat  on  her  head, 
such  was  her  amazing  resemblance,  that  on  her  appear- 
ance, battalions  would  have  presented  arms,  and  senates 
risen  to  do  homage  to  the  chief* 

In  her  latter  days,  the  matron  often  spoke  of  her  own 
good  boy ;  of  the  merits  of  his  early  life ;  of  his  love  and 
duty  J  but  of  the  deliverer  of  his  country — the  chief  magis- 
trate of  the  great  republic,  never.  Call  you  this  insensi- 
bility? call  you  it  want  of  ambition  ?  Oh,  no ;  her  ambition  ' 
had  been  gratified  to  overflowing.  In  her  Spartan  school 
she  had  taught  him  to  be  good — that  he  became  great, 
was  a  consequence,  not  the  cause. 

Thus  lived  and  died  this  distinguished  woman.  Had 
she  been  of  the  olden  time,  statues  would  have  been 
erected  to  her  memory  in  the  capitol,  and  she  would 
have  been  called  the  Mother  of  Romans.  When  another 
century  shall  have  elapsed,  and  our  descendants  shall 
have  learned  the  true  value  of  liberty,  how  will  the  fame 
of  the  paternal  chief  be  cherished  in  story  and  in  song, 
nor  will  be  forgotten  her,  who  first  "  bent  the  twig"  to 
"incline  the  tree"  to  glory. 

Then,  and  not  till  then,  will  youth  and  age,  maid  and 
matron,  aye,  and  bearded  men,  with  pilgrim  step,  repair 

*  This  was  the  mother  of  Lawrence  Lewis,  the  favorite  nephew  of  Washington, 
who  married  Eleanor  Parke  Castis,  mentioned  in  the  preceding  Memoir  of  the 
author  of  these  KecoHeeUonM, 


148  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINOTON. 

to  the  now  neglected  grave  of  the  mother  of  Wash- 
ington* 

*  It  is  yet  a  neglected  grave.  This  Memoir  was  written  more  than  thirty  years 
ago.  It  was  first  published  in  the  National  Gazette,  on  the  13th  of  May,  1826.  It 
attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention  at  the  time,  and  a  project  was  set  on  foot  for  the 
re-entombment  of  the  remains  of  the  matron,  and  the  erection  of  a  monument  over 
them.  This  movement  was  by  no  means  confined  to  the  people  of  Virginia.  It 
elicited  the  public  sympathy  throughout  the  Union.  The  press,  as  usual,  discussed 
the  subject,  and  a  New  York  paper  proposed  that  the  whole  matter  of  raising  the 
moderate  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars,  for  the  erection  of  tlie  monument,  should  be 
left  entirely  in  the  hands  of  "  the  American  Maids  and  Matrons."  Mr.  Gordon,  the 
proprietor  of  the  estate  on  which  was  the  matron's  grave,  had  some  correspondence 
with  Mr.  Custis  on  the  subject,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Fredericksbui^  got  up  a 
memorial.    But  the  whole  project  slumbered  for  several  years. 

Finally,  in  1833,  Silas  E.  Burrows,  Esq.,  of  the  city  of  New  York,  undertook  to 
erect  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  mother  of  Washington,  at  his  own  expense. 
The  comer-stone  was  laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  very  near  her  grave,  a  spot 
which  she  herself  had  selected  for  burial,  on  the  land  of  her  son-in-law,  Colonel 
Fielding  Lewis,  near  the  ledge  of  rocks  where  she  used  to  retire  for  meditation  and 
devotion.  It  was  placed  by  Andrew  Jackson,  then  president  of  the  United  States, 
on  the  seventh  of  May,  1833,  in  the  presence  of  a  great  concourse  of  people.  He 
went  down  the  Potomac  from  Washington  city,  on  the  sixth,  and  was  met  at  Potomac 
creek,  nine  miles  from  Fredericksburg,  by  the  monument  committee  of  that  city. 
He  was  received  by  a  military  escort,  by  whom  he  was  conducted  to  the  residence 
of  Doctor  Wallace,  in  Fredericksburg,  where  he  was  entertained  until  the  foUoxving 
day,  when  a  large  military  and  civic  procession  was  formed,  proceeded  to  the  grave, 
and  there  engaged  in  imposing  ceremonies. 

The  procession  was  formed  in  the  following  order : — 

1.  A  detachment  of  cavalry. 

2.  The  chief  architect  and  masonic  societies.  In  this  division,  Silas  E.  Burrows, 
of  New  York,  was  assigned  a  conspicuous  and  honorable  station. 

3.  The  president  of  the  United  States  in  an  open  carriage,  with  the  heads  of  de- 
partments, and  his  private  secretary  (Major  Donelson),  accompanied  by  the  monu- 
ment committee. 

4.  The  clergy,  and  relatives  of  Washington. 

5.  The  mayor  and  common  council  of  Fredericksbui^. 

6.  A  handsome  company  of  small  boys,  in  complete  uniform,  with  wooden  guns. 

7.  The  oflScers  of  tlie  army  and  navy  of  the  United  States,  and  the  invited 
strangers. 

8.  A  battalion  of  volunteers  under  the  command  of  Major  Patten,  and  seveml 
companies  of  infantry  from  Washington  and  Alexandria,  with  the  marine  band. 

9.  Strangers  and  citizens,  six  abreast. 

It  was  estimated  that  at  least  fifteen  thousand  persons  were  present  on  the  occa- 
lion.    After  an  appropriate  prayer  by  the  Reverend  E.  C.  M'Guire  (since  author  of 


THE  MOTHER  OF  WASHINGTON.  149 

a  Tolume  on  the  Religions  Character  of  Washington),  Mr.  Bassett,  ono  of  the  mem- 
t>en  of  the  monument  committee,  delivered  an  eloqnent  address  to  the  president  on 
the  character  of  her  whom  they  sought  to  honor.  The  president  made  a  most  touch- 
ing reply,  and  as  he  deposited  an  inscribed  plate  in  the  comer  stone,  he  said,  "  Fellow- 
citizens,  at  your  request,  and  in  your  name,  I  now  deposite  this  plate  in  the  spot 
destined  for  it;  and  when  the  American  pilgrim  shall,  in  after  ages,  come  up  to  this 
high  and  holy  place,  and  lay  his  hand  upon  this  sacred  column,  may  he  recall  the 
virtues  of  her  who  sleeps  beneath,  and  depart  with  his  affections  purified,  and  his 
piety  strengthened,  while  he  invokes  blessings  upon  the  memory  of  the  mother  of 
Washington." 
Mrs.  Sigoumey  thus  wrote,  in  reference  to  this  event : — 

"  Long  hast  thou  slept  unnoticed.    Nature  stole 
In  her  soft  minstrelsy  around  thy  bed, 
Spreading  her  vernal  tissue,  violet-gemmed. 
And  pearled  with  dews. 

She  bade  bright  summer  bring 
Gifts  of  frankincense,  with  sweet  song  of  birds, 
And  autumn  cast  his  reaper's  coronet 
Down  at  thy  feet,  and  stormy  winter  speak 
Sternly  of  man's  neglect.    But  now  we  come 
To  do  thee  homage  —  Mother  of  our  chief!  — 
Fit  homage,  such  as  honoreth  him  who  pays. 
Methinks  we  see  thee,  as  in  olden  time  — 
Simple  in  garb,  majestic,  and  serene; 
Unmoved  by  pomp  or  circumstances ;  in  truth 
Inflexible ;  and,  with  a  Spartan  zeal. 
Repressing  vice  and  making  folly  grave. 
Thou  didst  not  deem  it  woman's  part  to  waste 
life  in  inglorious  sloth -^  to  sport  a  while 
Amid  the  flowers,  or  on  the  summer  wave. 
Then,  fleet  like  the  Ephemeron,  away. 
Building  no  temple  in  her  children's  hearts. 
Save  to  the  vanity  and  pride  of  lifo 
Which  she  had  worshipped. 

For  the  might  that  clothed 
The  ''Pater  Patriss" — for  the  glorious  deeds 
That  make  Mount  Vernon's  tomb  a  Mecca  shrine 
For  all  the  earth,  what  thanks  to  thee  are  due. 
Who,  'mid  his  elements  of  being  wrought, 
We  know  not— Heaven  can  tell." 

The  monument  thus  commenced,  was  never  finished.  Everything  was  completed 
but  the  obelisk  with  which  it  was  to  be  surmounted,  and  the  inscription.  Commer- 
cial reverses  soon  afterward  befel  the  noble  inceptor  and  designer,  and  he  was  com- 
oelled  to  abandon  his  patriotic  work.    And  with  shame  be  it  spoken,  the  citizens  of 


150  EBCOLLECTIONS  OP  WASHINGTON. 

Virginia  have  left  the  nnfiniBhed  monument  to  cramble  into  dut,  and  tho  mother 
of  Washington  to  remain  nnhonored.  Tet  there  is  a  ray  of  light.  A  correspondent 
of  the  New  Hampthtre  Patrioi,  writing  from  Whampoa,  in  China,  under  date  of 
December  20,  1858,  speaks  thus  of  Mr.  Burrows  and  the  monument: — 

"  I  supposed  he  was  long  since  dead,  and  that  his  monument  and  memory  would 
perish  together.  But  he  still  lives ;  and  though  his  great  object  is  suspended,  it  is 
not  abandoned,  but  only  adjourned  till  h^can  recuperate  his  fortunes.  I  met  with 
him  in  Hong  Kong,  where,  with  two  sons,  he  is  conducting  commercial  enterprises, 
and  sails  back  and  forward  between  China  and  California  with  as  little  thought  as  • 
you  in  taking  the  raibroad  for  Boston.  An  old  man  and  lame,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  globe,  so  far  from  his  monument,  and  forgotten  around  the  monument,  even,  as 
well  as  at  home,  it  was  touching  to  the  heart  to  find  him  here,  with  one  object,  one 
thought,  one  last  effort,  remembering  the  '  Mother  of  Washington/  when  he  himself 
liad  passed  from  the  memory  of  the  living." 

I  visited  that  unfinished  monument  near  tho  close  of  1848,  when  the  huge  obelisk 
of  white  marble,  ready  for  the  sculptor's  hand  lay  there,  broken  and  defaced.  The 
monument  is  also  of  white  marble,  and  even  in  its  unfinished  state,  had  an  imposing 
appearance.  The  years  of  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  have  now  passed  by 
since  that  comer-stone  was  laid,  with  so  much  pomp  and  promise,  to  the  memory 
of  her,  of  whom  it  was  said  by  a  distingushed  gentleman  in  the  city  of  modem  Rome, 
that  she  was  "  tlie  most  fortunate  of  American  matrons,  in  having  given  to  her  coun< 
try  and  to  the  world,  a  hero  without  ambition,  and  a  patriot  without  reproach ;"  and 
yet  the  monument  is  unfinished.  It  stands  there  silently  appealing  to  national  patri- 
otism and  local  pride  to  sculpture  its  ornaments  and  seat  its  obelisk.  It  does 
more;  it  rebukes  the  insensibility  of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Virginia,  to  tho 
memory  of  the  most  honored  woman  of  the  land.  Year  after  year  the  dust  of  the 
plain  has  lodged  upon  the  top  of  the  half-finished  pile,  and  the  winds  have  planted 
the  seeds  of  flowers  and  weeds  wUd  there ;  and  upon  the  base  where  that  noble  obelisk 
should  stand,  the  sun,  the  rain,  and  the  dew,  annually  weave  green  garlands  and 
festoons,  as  if  rebuking  the  indolence  or  avarice  of  insensate  man.  Even  the  marble 
tablet  upon  which  was  to  be  inscribed  the  simple  words, 

MARY,  THE  MOTHER  OF  WASHINGTON, 
is  covered  with  green  moss ;  and  there  is  nothing  to  tell  the  stranger  that  near  him 
lie  the  mortal  remains  of  her  who  gave  birth  to  the  Father  of  his  Couktrt. 

A  picture  of  this  unfinished  monument  may  be  found  in  Lossinfs  Fidd-Book  oj 
the  Revolutum. 


WA8HIN0T0N  AT  MOUNT  VERNON.  151 


CHAPTER  XL 

WASHINGTON  AT  MOUNT  VERNON. 

Mm.  Wasuinqton^  Mutiatuks— WAaniROTON^s  Lztteb  to  Heb  oir  aocsptixo  tub  Cox 
UAn  OP  TBB  ABXT-^MnnnB  or  thb  Yibsinta  Uousb  of  Bitbobbsbs  —  Ho  Pbbsonai 
ATTBAonom— Mahbiov-Housb  at  Motrirr  ViBifoir— Thb  CiuflB—His  CoxrArr— A  Mab* 
TBB  or  Slatbb— BiULT— BiSBOP— Thb  Miutabt  Hat  aito  Wab  Swobo— Biu.t  at 
Moubt  Ybbxon— Washznoton's  Exbhptiox  fbom  Disbasb—An  Eablt  Bibbb— His 
Habits  ik  Pbitatb  akd  Publio  — His  Costuxb— His  Wab  Hobsb— Ha  GuBSn  awd 
Hifl  Dutibb— TouB  OP  His  Farms— A  Bbscriptior  of  Hih— Usb  of  thb  TJxbbblia  — 
Toasts— Washihotox'S  Etbkinos— His  Habit  in  Wixtbb— His  Exxbodb— Pabtzality 
TO  OmLDBBX— Washixotox  ax  Obsbbtbb  of  thb  Sabbath. 

Forty  years  a  husband,  General  Washington  retained 
an  old-fashioned  habit  of  husbands,  as  he  alv^ays  did  the 
ease  and  elegance  of  old-fashioned  manners."^  From  the 
time  of  his  marriage,  until  he  ceased  to  live  in  nature,  he 
wore  suspended  from  his  neck,  by  a  gold  chain,  and  rest- 
ing on  his  bosom,  the  miniature  portrait  of  his  wife.  The 
letter  which  he  wrote  to  her,  upon  his  acceptance  of  the 
conmiand  of  the  American  army,f  is  a  proof,  both  of  hi» 

*  Washington  was  n\aiTied  in  January  1759,  and  died  in  December  1799. 

t  The  following  '^  a  copy  of  the  letter,  transcribed  from  the  autograph  presenred 

at  Arlington  house.    It  is  the  only  letter  from  Washington  to  his  wife  kiiowH  to  be 

in  existence : — 

'' Philadblfhia,  June  18,  17T5. 

"  Mt  Dsarsst  :  I  am  now  sit  down  to  write  yon  on  a  subject  which  fills  me  withi 
inexpressible  concern,  and  this  concern  is  greatly  aggravated  and  increased  when  I 
reflect  upon  the  uneasiness  I  know  it  will  give  you.  It  has  been  determined  in 
Congress  that  the  whole  army  raised  for  the  defence  of  the  American  cause  shall  be 
put  under  my  care,  and  that  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  proceed  immediately  to  Boston 
to  take  upon  me  the  command  of  it 

'*  You  may  belieye  me,  my  dear  Patsy,  when  I  assure  yon  in  the  most  solemn  man- 
ner, that,  so  far  from  seeking  this  appointment,  I  have  used  every  endeavor  in  my 
power  to  avoid  it,  not  only  from  my  unwillingness  to  part  with  you  and  the  family 


152  RECOLLECTIONS   OP  WASmNGTON. 

conjugal  tenderness,  and  diffidence  in  receiving  so  im- 
portant a  commission ;  also,  of  the  purity  of  his  heart, 
and  of  the  generous  and  nobly  disinterested  motives 
which  governed  his  life  and  actions. 

Soon  after  his  marriage,  Colonel  Washington  became 
settled  at  Mount  Vernon,*  and  was  elected  frequently 

but  from  a  consciousness  of  its  being  a  trust  too  great  for  mj  capacity,  and  that  I 
should  enjoj  more  real  happiness  in  one  month  with  yon  at  home  than  I  have  the 
most  distant  prospect  of  finding  abroad,  if  my  stay  were  to  be  seven  times  seven 
years.  But  as  it  has  been  a  kind  of  destiny  that  has  thrown  me  npon  this  service,  I 
shall  hope  that  my  undertaking  it  is  designed  to  answer  sokne  good  purpose.  Ton 
might,  and  I  suppose  did  perceive,  from  the  tenor  of  my  letters,  that  I  was  appre- 
hensive I  could  not  avoid  this  appointment,  as  I  did  not  pretend  to  intimate  when 
I  should  return.  That  was  the  case.  It  was  utterly  out  of  my  power  to  refuse 
this  appointment  without  exposing  my  character  to  such  censures  as  would  have 
reflected  dishonor  upon  myself  and  given  pain  to  my  friends.  This  I  am  snre 
could  not,  and  ought  not,  to  be  pleasing  to  you,  and  must  have  lessened  me  con- 
siderably in  my  own  esteem.  I  shall  rely,  therefore,  confidently  on. that  Providence 
which  has  heretoforo  preserved  and  been  bovntiful  to  mo,  not  doubting  but  that  I 
shall  return  safe  to  you  in  the  fall.  I  shall  feel  no  pain  from  the  toil  or  the  danger 
of  the  campaign ;  my  nnhappiness  will  flow  from  the  uneasiness  I  know  you  will 
feel  from  being  left  alone.  I  therefore  beg  that  you  will  summon  your  whole 
fortitude,  and  pass  your  time  as  agreeably  as  possible.  Nothing  will  give  me  so 
much  sincere  satisfaction  as  to  hear  this,  and  to  hear  it  from  your  own  pen.  My 
earnest  and  ardent  desire  is,  that  you  would  pursue  any  plan  that  is  most  likely  to 
produce  content  and  a  tolerable  degree  of  tranquillity ;  and  it  must  add  greatly  to 
my  uneasy  feelings  to  hear  that  you  are  dissatisfied  or  complaining  at  what  I  really 
eonld  not  avoid. 

**  As  life  is  always  uncertain,  and  common  prudence  dictates  to  every  man  the 
necessity  of  settling  his  temporal  concerns,  while  it  is  in  his  power,  and  while  the 
mind  is  calm  and  undisturbed,  I  have,  since  I  came  to  this  plac^(for  I  had  not  time 
to<lo  it  before  I  left  home),  got  Colonel  Pendleton  to  draft  a  will  for  me,  by  the 
directiens  I  gave  him,  which  will  I  now  enclose.  The  provision  made  for  yon  in 
case  of  my  death  will,  I  hope,  be  agreeable. 

"  I  shall  add  nothing  more,  as  I  have  several  letters  to  write,  but  to  desire  that  yon 
will  remember  me  to  your  friends,  and  to  assure  you  that  I  am,  with  the  most 
unfeigned  regard,  my  dear  Patsy,  yonr  aiTectionate,  &c." 

*  The  eminence  which  gave  name  to  the  whole  estate  on  the  Potomac,  owned  by 
Washington,  and  on  which  the  mansion  was  built,  was  called  Mount  Vernon  in 
honor  of  Admiral  Vernon  of  the  British  navy.  Lawrence  Washington,  half-brother 
of  George,  and  owner  of  the  estate  at  that  time,  had  served  in  the  British  army  before 
Curthagena,  where  Vernon  was  the  naval  commander.    Lawrence  died  in  July  1752, 


WASHINGTON  AT  MOUNT  VERNON,  153 

fix)m  the  county  of  Fairfax  to  the  house  of  burgesses  * 
During  the  reigns  of  the  provincial  governors,  Bote- 

at  the  early  age  of  thirty-fonr  years,  leaving  a  wife  and  infant  danghter.  The  Mount 
Vernon  estate  was  beqaeathed  to  that  danghter,  and  in  the  event  of  her  decease  without 
issue,  the  property  was  to  pass  into  the  absolute  possession  of  Geoi^,  to  whom,  in 
his  will,  Lawrence  had  entrusted  the  chief  care  of  his  affairs,  although  he  was  the 
youngeet  executor.  He  was  then  only  twenty  years  of  age.  The  daughter  did  not 
long  surviye  her  father,  and  Mount  Vomon  became  the  property  of  George  Wash- 
ington. In  a  letter  to  a  friend  in  London,  soon  after  his  marriage,  Washington 
wrote  concerning  his  home:  "No  estate  in  United  America  is  more  pleasantly 
situated.  In  a  high  and  healthy  country ;  in  a  latitude  between  the  extremes  of 
heat  and  cold ;  on  one  of  the  finest  rivers  in  the  world — ^a  river  well  stock  with  vari- 
ous kinds  of  fish  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  and  in  the  spring  with  shad,  herring, 
bass,  carp,  sturgeon,  &c.,  in  great  abundance.  The  borders  of  the  estate  are  washed 
by  more  than  ten  miles  of  tide-water ;  several  valuable  fisheries  appertain  to  it;  the 
whole  shore,  in  fact,  is  one  entire  fishery.'' 

*  While  engaged  in  the  campaign  of  1758,  Colonel  Washington  was  elected  a 
representative  of  Frederick  county,  in  the  Virginia  house  of  burgesses.  Just  pre- 
vious to  the  election,  his  friends  ui^d  him  to  leave  the  army  for  a  few  days,  and 
give  tlie  weight  of  his  personal  presence  in  favor  of  himself,  as  a  candidate.  The 
public  good  required  him  to  remain  with  the  army,  and  as  that  always  outweighed 
every  y*rivate  consideration,  he  refused  to  leave.  There  were  four  candidates, 
and  he  was  chosen  by  a  largo  majority  over  all  his  competitors.  "  Tour  friends," 
wrote  one  of  his  correspondents,  "  have  been  very  sincere,  so  that  yon  have  received 
more  votes  than  any  other  candidate.  Colonel  Ward  sat  on  the  bench  and  repre- 
sented you,  and  he  was  carried  round  the  town  in  the  midst  of  a  general  applause, 
and  huzzaing  for  Colonel  Washington."  This  was  a  gratifying  result  for  the  young 
commander,  for  he  had  received  the  support  of  the  people  among  whom,  in  the  most 
trying  times,  he  had  been  compelled  to  exercise  strong  military  restraint. 

This  election  cost  Colonel  Washington  thirty-nine  pounds  and  six  shillings,  Vir- 
ginia currency.  "  Among  the  items  of  charge  which  have  been  preserved/'  says 
Sparks,  "  are  a  hogshead  and  a  barrel  of  punch,  thirty-five  gallons  of  wine,  forty- 
three  gallons  of  strt>ng  beer,  cider,  and  dinner  for  his  friends." 

Colonel  Washington  was  a  member  of  the  house  of  burgesses  for  about  fifteen 
years.  Soon  after  the  meeting  of  that  body,  in  January  1757,  when  Washington 
appeared  there  as  a  member  for  the  first  time,  it  was  resolved  to  return  thanks  to 
him  for  the  distinguished  service  ho  had  rendered  his  country  in  the  field.  Upon 
Speaker  Robinson  devolved  the  pleasing  duty.  "  As  soon  as  Colonel  Washington 
took  his  seat,"  says  Mr.  Wirt,  "  Mr.  Robinson,  in  obedience  to  the  order,  and  fol- 
lowing the  impulse  of  his  own  generous  and  grateful  heart,  discharged  the  duty  with 
great  dignity,  but  with  such  warmth  of  coloring,  and  strength  of  expression,  as 
entirely  to  confound  the  young  hero.  He  rose  to  express  his  acknowledgments  for 
tlie  honor,  but  such  was  his  trepidation  and  confusion,  that  he  could  not  give  dis- 
tinct utterance  to  a  single  syllable.    He  blushed,  stammered,  and  trembled  for  a 


154  BBCOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

tourt*  and  Eden,f  the  courts  of  WilliamsburgJ  and  An- 
napolis§  displayed  as  much  of  the  polish  of  high  life  bb  wbjs 

second ;  when  the  speaker  relieved  him  by  a  stroke  of  address  that  would  have  done 
honor  to  Louis  the  Fourteenth  in  his  proudest  and  hi^tpiest  moment.  '  Sit  down 
Mr.  Washington/  said  he,  with  a  conciliatory  smile,  'your  modesty  is  equal  to 
your  valor,  and  that  surpasses  the  power  of  any  language  that  I  possess.' " 

*  Lord  Botetourt,  one  of  the  king's  lords  of  the  bedchamber,  arriyed  in  Yiipnia 
as  governor  of  the  colony,  in  the  autumn  of  1 768.  He  was  the  successor  of  Gkyvemor 
Fauquier.  He  was  an  Englishman;  upright,  honorable,  -benevolent  and  accom- 
plished. When  asked  by  the  king,  on  receiving  his  appointment,  "  When  will  you 
be  ready  to  go  V*  he  promptly  replied,  "  To-night."  His  manners  were  very  con- 
ciliatory. For  this  reason  Junius  described  him  as  a  "  cringing,  bowing,  fawning, 
and  sword-bearing  courtier ;"  and  Horace  Walpole  said,  on  his  departure,  "  if  his 
graces  don't  captivate  the  Virginians,  he  will  enrage  them  to  fury ;  for  I  take  all  his 
douceur  to  be  enamelled  on  iron."  Like  others  of  his  class.  Lord  Botetourt  had 
underrated  the  people  he  had  consented  to  govern ;  and  his  ostentatious  display  of 
vice-regal  pomp,  when  proceeding  to  open  the  Virginia  assembly,  for  the  first  time, 
disgusted  them.  He  was,  on  the  whole,  one  of  the  best  of  the  royal  governors  ever 
vouchsafed  to  Virginia,  and  his  memory  is  cherished  with  afi^ection  in  the  Old 
Dominion.  On  the  green,  in  front  of  William  and  Mary  College,  at  Williamsburg, 
is  a  statue  of  Lord  Botetourt  He  died  in  1 77 1,  and  was  succeeded  by  Lord 
Dunmore. 

t  Sir  Robert  Eden  was  the  last  of  the  royal  governors  of  Maryland,  and  suc- 
ceeded Governor  Sharpo  in  1768.  He  was  a  very  amiable  gentleman,  and  at  the 
commencement  of  revolutionary  movements  against  royal  authority,  he  was  dis- 
posed to  be  very  conciliatory  toward  the  people  of  Maryland.  But,  as  royal  gover- 
nor, he  was  compelled  to  obey  the  commands  of  his  king  and  his  ministers,  and  in 
so  doing,  he  offended  the  republican  sentiment  of  his  colony,  and  was  obliged  to 
abdicate.  He  returned  after  the  war  to  recover  his  estates,  and  died  at  Annapolis, 
in  September  1784.    His  wife  was  sister  to  Lord  Baltimore. 

t  Williamsburg,  as  we  have  elsewhere  remarked,  was  made  the  capital  of  Vii^ 
ginia  at  an  early  day,  and  the  governors  held  courts  there  in  a  style  approaching 
that  of  royalty  itself,  only  on  a  smaller  scale.  The  remains  of  the  "  pakce"  of  Lord 
Dunmore  may  yet  be  seen.  These  consist  of  the  two  wings.  The  wnole  was  con- 
structed of  brick.  The  centre  portion  was  accidentally  destroyed  by  flre,  while  oc- 
cupied by  the  French  troops,  immediately  after  the  surrender  of  Comwallis,  at  York- 
town.  It  was  seventy-four  feet  long  and  sixty-eight  feet  wide,  and  occupied  the  site 
of  the  old  palace  of  Governor  Spottswood,  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. Attached  to  the  palace  were  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  beautifully 
laid  out  in  gardens,  parks,  carriage-ways,  and  a  bowling-green. 

^  Annapolis,  on  the  Chesapeake,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Severn,  became  the  scat  of 
the  government  of  Maryland  in  the  year  1694,  when  all  the  records  and  offices  were 
moved  there  from  St.  Marys,  the  first  capital.  There,  as  at  Williamsburg,  was 
found  the  most  polished  society ;  and  of  so  much  importance  were  these  two  places 


WASHINGTON  AT  MOUNT  VERNON.  155 

to  be  found  in  the  larger  cities  of  Europe,  with  far  less  of 
their  corruptions  and  debaucheries.  It  was  the  custom 
for  gentlemen  of  fortune  to  have  their  town  houses  du- 
ring the  sessions  of  the  legislature,  where  they  lived  in 
great  splendor  and  hospitality.  Colonel  Washington  was 
of  this  number.  His  personal  attractions,  not  less  than 
his  early  renown  in  arms,  made  him  a  subject  of  much 
interest  to  the  Europeans,  who  were  frequent  visiters  to 
the  capitals  of  Virginia  and  Maryland.  Straight  as  an 
Indian  arrow,  he  was  easily  distinguished  in  the  gay 
crowds  which  appeared  at  the  palaces  of  the  vice-kings, 
by  a  something  in  his  air  and  manner  which  bespoke  no 
ordinary  man.  His  lower  limbs,  being  formed  mathe- 
matically straight,  he  walked,  as  it  were,  on  parallel 
lines,  while  his  mode  of  placing  and  taking  up  his  feet 
resembled  the  step  of  precision  and  care  so  remarkable 
in  the  aboriginal  children  of  the  forest.  He  might  be 
termed  rather  a  silent  than  a  speaking  member  of  the 
house  of  burgesses,  although  he  sometimes  addressed  the 
chair,  and  was  listened  to  with  attention  and  respect, 
while  the  excellence  of  his  judgment  was  put  in  requisi- 
tion on  all  committees,  either  of  important  general  or 
local  policy.* 

considered,  In  point  of  social  character,  that  the  first  theatrical  performaDces  ever 
given  in  America,  hy  a  regular  company,  were  at  those  two  places.  The  toleration 
extended  to  snch  amusements  hy  the  Anglican  church,  then  the  estahlished  church  in 
Virginia  and  Maryland,  may  have  had  some  influence  in  causing  Hallam  and  his 
company  first  to  try  their  fortunes  there.  It  was  in  1752  and  1753  that  the  perform- 
ances were  first  presented  in  those  two  cities ;  and  it  is  on  record,  that  Washington, 
who  was  very  fond  of  dramatic  entertainments,  attended  them  at  hoth  places. 

*  So  in  the  continental  Congress,  of  which  Washington  was  a  memher  in  1774 
and  1775.  He  had  no  ability  for  an  extemporary  speaker,  and  did  not  there  engage 
in  the  public  debates.  He  was  an  excellent  counsellor,  and  was  assiduous  in  his  at- 
tendance at  Carpenter's  hall  whenever  the  Congress  was  in  session.  Patrick  Henry, 
when  asked,  on  his  return  home  from  the  Congress,  whom  he  considered  the  greatest 


156  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

When  Colonel  Washington  first  resided  at  Mount  Ver- 
non, both  the  mansion-house  and  estate  were  inconsider- 
able. All  the  embellishments  of  the  house  and  grounds 
are  owing  to  his  creative  hand.  Prior  to  the  War  for  In- 
dependence, he  was  much  attached  to  the  pleasures  of 
the  chase,  and  is  described  as  a  bold  and  fearless  rider. 
He  kept  hounds  for  a  short  time  after  the  Revolution,  but 
declined  hunting  altogether  about  1787  or  '88. 

He  was  never  disposed  to  conviviality,  but  liked  the 
cheerful  converse  of  the  social  board.  He  indulged  in 
no  games  of  chance,  except  in  the  olden  times,  when  re- 
quired to  make  up  a  party  at  whist,  in  playing  for  a 
trifle ;  although,  for  many  years,  play  of  all  kinds  was 
unknown  in  his  household.*  After  his  retirement  from 
public  life,  all  the  time  which  he  could  spare  from  his 
library,  was  devoted  to  the  improvement  of  his  estates, 
and  the  elegant  and  tasteful  arrangement  of  his  house 
and  grounds.     He  was  his  own  surveyor,f  and  the  dis- 

man  in  that  body,  replied :  "  If  you  speak  of  eloquence,  Mr.  Ratledp;e,  of  South  Caro- 
lina, is  by  far  the  greatest  orator ;  but  if  you  speak  of  solid  information  and  sound 
judgment.  Colonel  Washington  is  unquestionably  the  greatest  man  on  that  floor." 

*  During  his  younger  married  life,  Washington  indulged  in  all  lawful  amuse- 
ments. His  home  was  a  gay  one,  and  almost  erery  day  he  had  company  at  dinner. 
**  Would  any  person  believe,"  he  says  in  his  diary,  in  1768,  "  that,  with  a  hundrtd  and 
one  cows  actually  reported  at  a  late  enumeration  of  the  cattle,  I  should  still  be 
obliged  to  buy  butter  for  my  family  V  The  hunting  days,  which  occurred  fre- 
quently, generally  ended  in  a  dinner  at  Belroir,  the  seat  of  the  Fairfaxes,  a  little 
lower  on  the  Potomac,  or  at  Mount  Vernon — ^more  frequently  at  the  latter.  The 
company  usually  staid  all  night,  and  bad  weather  might  keep  them  there.  Wash- 
ington was  indifferent  to  games,  but  on  such  occasions  he  resorted  to  them  to 
amuse  his  gueste.  On  one  of  these,  he  records  in  his  diary  :  "  At  home  all  day  at 
cards ;  it  snowing." 

t  A  facsimile  of  the  record  of  one  of  the  latest  of  his  surveys,  is  presented  in  this 
work.  Surveying  was  Washington's  earliest  occupation  for  gain,  he  having  been 
employed  in  that  business  by  Lord  Fairfax,  who  owned  immense  tracts  of  land  in 
the  valleys  beyond  the  Blue  Ridge.  Washington  set  out  on  his  first  surveying 
expedition,  on  account  of  Lord  Fairfax,  in  March,  1748,  just  one  month  fh>m  the 


WASHINGTON  AT  MOUNT  VERNON.  157 

position  and  appearance  of  his  fanns,  gave  evident  proofs 
that  the  genius  of  useful  improvement  had  directed  its 
energies  with  beneficial,  as  well  as  ornamental  ejffects. 

As  a  master  of  slaves,  General  Washington  was  con- 
sistent, as  in  every  other  relation  of  his  meritorious  life. 
They  were  comfortably  lodged,  fed,  and  clothed ;  required 
to  do  a  full  and  fair  share  of  duty ;  well  cared  for  in  sick- 
ness and  old  age,  and  kept  in  strict  and  proper  discipline. 
These,  we  humbly  conceive,  comprise  all  the  charities  of 
slavery.  To  his  old  servants,  where  long  and  faithful 
services  rendered  them  worthy  of  attachment  and  esteem, 
he  was  most  kind.  His  huntsman  and  Revolutionary  at- 
tendant. Will  Lee,  commonly  called  Billy,  was  specially 
provided  for,  and  survived  his  master  a  good  many  years. 
Will  had  been  a  stout  active  man,  and  a  famous  horse- 
man, but,  from  accident,  was  a  cripple  for  many  years 
before  his  death,  which  occurred  at  a  very  advanced  age.* 
This  ancient  follower,  both  in  the  chase  and  war,  formed 
a  most  interesting  relic  of  the  chief,  and  received  con- 
siderable largesses  from  the  numerous  visiters  to  Mount 
Vernon.     The  slaves  were  left  to  be  emancipated  at  the 

day  on  which  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  I  have  before  me  his  original  drawings 
of  the  plan  for  laying  oat  the  grounds  around  the  Mount  Vernon  mansion,  made 
after  his  return  from  the  army  and  retirement  to  private  life,  in  1784.  A  particular 
account  of  these  may  be  found  in  a  volume  entitled,  "  Mount  Vernon,  and  its  Asso- 
ciations" published  in  1859,  by  W.  A.  Townscnd  &  Company,  New  York. 

*  I  visited  Mount  Vernon  in  October,  1858,  where  I  saw  an  old  mulatto,  named 
Westford,  who  had  been  a  resident  there  since  August,  1801.  He  was  raised  in  the 
family  of  Judge  Bushrod  Washington,  who  came  into  possession  of  Mount  Vernon, 
by  inheritance,  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Washington.  Westford  knew  Billy  well.  His 
master  having  left  him  a  house,  and  a  pension  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year, 
Billy  became  a  spoiled  child  of  fortune.  He  was  quite  intemperate  at  limes,  and 
finally  delirium  tremens,  with  all  its  horrors,  seized  him.  Westford  frequently  re- 
lieved him  on  such  occasions,  by  bleeding  him.  One  morning,  a  little  more  than 
thirty  years  ago,  Westford  was  sent  for  to  bring  Billy  out  of  a  fit.  The  blood  would 
not  flow.    Billv  was  dead ! 


158  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASmNGTON. 

death  of  Mrs.  Washington ;  but  it  was  found  necessarj 
{{or  prudential  reasons)  to  give  them  their  freedom  in  one 
year  after  the  general's  decease.  Although  many  of 
them,  with  a  view  to  their  liberation,  had  been  instructed 
in  mechanic  trades,  yet  they  succeeded  very  badly  as  free- 
men :  so  true  is  the  axiom,  ^  that  the  hour  which  makes 
man  a  slave,  takes  half  his  worth  away." 

Bishop,  an  English  soldier,  formed  an  interesting  re- 
miniscence of  the  war  of  '55.  He  belonged  to  Brad- 
dock's  own  regiment ;  and,  on  account  of  possessing  su- 
perior intelligence,  was  detailed  as  a  body-servant,  to 
accompany  that  ill-fated  commander  on  the  expedition 
to  Fort  du  Quesne.*  Bishop  firmly  believed  in  the 
Providence  which  shielded  the  provincial  colonel,  in  the 
memorable  battle  of  Monongahela,  and  observed,  he  was 
the  only  mounted  officer  left  The  enemy  knew  him 
well,  from  their  having  felt  him  severely,  the  year  be- 

*  On  account  of  boandary  disputes,  at  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  the 
French  and  English  in  America,  engaged  in  a  war,  and  finally  hostilities  between 
the  two  nations  were  officially  declared.  The  war  commenced  in  the  Ohio  region. 
Englishmen  attempted  to  build  a  fort  at  the  forks  of  the  Ohio,  upon  territory  claimed 
by  the  French.  The  latter,  aided  by  Indians,  drove  the  English  off,  finished  the 
fort,  and  named  it  Du  Quesne,  in  honor  of  the  governor-general  of  Canada.  Against 
this  fort  General  Braddock,  an  Irish  officer  of  considerable  military  renown,  led  an 
expedition  in  the  year  1755.  After  much  toil  and  difficulty  he  reached  the  Monon- 
gahela early  in  the  month  of  July.  Washington,  with  the  rank  of  colonel,  accom- 
panied him  as  aid.  On  the  ninth,  thoy  suddenly  fell  into  an  Indian  ambush,  and  a 
terrible  encounter  ensued  between  French  and  Indians  on  one  side,  and  English 
and  provincial  soldiers  on  the  other.  Washington  urged  Braddock  to  fight,  as  the 
Indians  did,  or  rather,  as  the  provincials  were  accustomed  to,  but  that  general 
would  not  swerve  from  the  rules  of  European  tactics.  The  consequence  was,  a  ter- 
rible slaughter  of  his  troops,  and  a  defeat.  Braddock  himself  was  mortally  wounded, 
and  the  remnant  of  his  army  was  saved  by  the  skill  and  gallant  conduct  of  Colonel 
Washington.  He  was  the  only  mounted  officer  who,  on  that  day,  was  not  wounded. 
He  had  two  horses  shot  under  him,  and  four  bullets  passed  through  his  coat.  "  By 
the  all-powerful  dispensations  of  Providence,"  he  wrote  to  his  brother,  "  I  have  been 
protected  beyond  all  human  probability  or  expectation." 


WASHINGTON  AT  MOUNT  VBRNON.  159 

fore  at  the  afiair  of  the  Meadows  ;*  and  the  provincial 
military  being  far  more  obnoxious  to  the  French  and 
Indians  than  the  European  troops,  from  the  marksman- 
ship of  the  rangers,  and  their  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
modes  of  forest  warfare,  thfe  fire  of  the  enemy  became 
particularly  directed  against  the  devoted  young  warrior, 
whom  they  afterward  termed  "  the  spirit-protected  man," 
destined  to  '^become  the  chief  of  nations,"  and  who 
^  could  not  die  in  battle."  The  hat  worn  on  that  event- 
ful day,  and  which  was  pierced  by  two  balls,  was  at 
Mount  Vernon,  and  both  seen  and  handled  by  several 
persons,  long  within  our  remembrance ;  yet,  strange  to 
say,  it  was  no  where  to  be  found  on  the  demise  of  the 
chief.  Another  and  invaluable  relict  was  also  missing ; 
we  mean  the  sword  of  service  which  was  worn  in  action 
in  the  War  for  Independence.  It  was  described  to  us,  by 
one  who  had  often  buckled  it  to  the  hero's  side,  as  being 
a  kind  of  hanger ;  and  we  have  an  indistinct  recollection 
of  having  been  told  in  the  family,  that  it  was  given  to 
General  Greene  at  the  close  of  the  war.  If  so,  it  surely 
could  not  have  been  more  worthily  bestowed.  Upon 
mentioning  these  circumstances  to  General  Andrew 
Jackson,  he  was  pleased  to  say  that  he  would  make 
inquiry  among  the  descendants  of  Greene,  who,  if  they 

*  When,  by  order  of  Gk)vernor  Dinwiddle,  Major  Washington,  in  1754,  was 
marching  toward  the  forks  of  the  Ohio,  he  was  informed  that  the  French  had  driven 
the  English  away,  and  that  a  strong  force  of  French  and  Indians  were  on  their  march 
to  attack  him.  He  prudently  wheeled,  marched  back  to  a  place  called  the  Great 
Meadows,  and  there  hastily  erected  a  stockade,  and  called  it  Fort  Necessity.  Again, 
on  the  death  of  the  leader  of  the  expedition,  when  the  whole  command  devolved  on 
Major  Washington,  he  advanced  with  foar  hundred  men.  He  was  soon  advised  of 
the  approach  of  a  much  larger  number  of  the  enemy,  and  he  fell  back  to  Fort  Neces- 
sity at  the  Qreat  Meadows.  There,  on  the  third  of  July,  he  was  besieged  by  about 
fifteen  hundred  foes,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth  surrendered.  It  was  upon  hon- 
orable terms ;  and  Washington  and  his  troops  were  allowed  to  return  to  Vii^inia. 


160  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINOTON. 

possess,  will,  no  doubt,  most  dearly  prize  so  valued  a  gift 
as  the  Sword  of  the  Revolution.* 

*  This  was  written  in  Febraaiy,  1827.  That  sword,  with  Franklin's  staff,  is  pre- 
served in  a  glass  case,  with  other  personal  mementoes  of  Washington,  in  tlie  model- 
ball  of  the  patent-office  at  Washington  city.  The  handle  is  of  ivory,  colored  a  pale 
green,  and  wound  spirally  at  wide  intervals  with  silver  wire.  It  was  manufactured 
by  J.  Bailey,  Fishkill,  Duchess  county.  New  York,  and  has  the  maker's  name  en- 
graven upon  the  hilt.  The  belt  is  of  white  leatlier.  silver  mounted,  and  was  in  the 
old  French  and  Indian  war.    It  bears  a  silver  plate,  on  which  is  engraved,  "  1757." 

The  long  black  staff  grouped  with  the  sword,  was  bequeathed  to  Washington  by 
Doctor  Franklin,  in  the  following  clause  of  the  codicil  to  his  will : — 

"  My  fine  crab-tree  walking-stick,  with  a  gold  head  curiously  wrought  In  the  form 
of  the  cap  of  liberty,  I  give  to  my  friend,  and  the  friend  of  mankind,  General  Wash- 
ington. If  it  were  a  sceptre,  he  has  merited  it,  and  would  become  iL  It  was  a 
present  to  me  from  that  excellent  woman,  Madame  De  Forbach,  the  dowager-duchess 
of  Deux-Fonts,  connected  with  some  verses  which  should  go  with  it." 

Of  these  relics,  our  lyric  poet,  George  P.  Morris,  hus  sweetly  sung  in  the  fol 
lowing  ode,  called  "  The  Suxnrd  and  the  Staff." 

"  The  swoi-d  of  the  Hero ! 

The  staff  of  the  Sage! 
Whose  valor  and  wisdom 

Are  stamped  on  the  age! 
Time-hallowed  mementoes 

Of  those  who  have  riven 
The  sceptre  from  tyrants, 

'The  lightning  from  heaven. 

"This  weapon,  0  Freedom! 

Was  drawn  by  thy  son. 
And  it  never  was  sheathed 

Till  the  battle  was  won! 
Ko  stain  of  dishonor 

Upon  it  we  see! 
'Twas  never  surrendered  — 

Except  to  the  free! 

*' While  Fame  claims  the  hero 

And  patriot  sage, 
Their  names  to  emblazon 

On  History's  page, 
No  holier  relics 

Will  Liberty  hoard, 
Than  Frakkltn'b  staff,  guarded 

By  Washington's  sword." 


WASmNOTON  AT  MOtJin:  VERNON.        .  161 

At  the  commencemeiit  of  hostilities,  in  1775,  Bishop 
being  too  old  for  active  service,  was  left  at  home  in 
charge  of  the  manufacturing  establishments  of  the  house- 
hold, wherem  the  veteran  would  flourish  his  cane,  ex- 
acting as  perfect  obedience  as  though  he  had  been  a 
commanding  oflBcer  on  parade.  A  comfortable  house 
had  been  built  for  him;  he  had  married ;  and,  looking  no 
more  toward  his  native  land,  he  was  contented  to  pass 
the  remainder  of  his  days  on  the  domain  of  his  patron, 
where  he  rested  from  labor,  in  the  enjoyment  of  every 
possible  ease  and  indulgence — the  reward  of  his  long 
and  faithful  services.  In  his  comfortable  homestead,  and 
hoary  with  age,  he  would  delight  the  young  with  tales 
of  fearful  interest  of  the  Indian  war;  while,  his  own 
conflicts  ended,  and  himself  at  peace  with  all  the  world, 
he  feebly  trimmed  the  lamp  of  life,  which,  having  burned 
for  more  than  eighty  years,  could  but  for  a  little  while 
longer  be  kept  from  expiring. 

Notwithstanding  his  perfect  reverence  for  his  patron, 
this  old  soldier  would  sometimes,  presuming  on  the  privi- 
lege of  age  and  long  services,  chafe  his  protector  on 
points  of  expediency,  though  never  on  those  of  obedience. 
The  general  would  assume  a  lofty  tone,  saying,  "  It  is 
very  well,  sir ;  if  you  are  at  length  tired  of  my  service, 
you  are  at  perfect  liberty  to  depart."  The  ancient  fol- 
lower of  Braddock,  however,  knew  his  man,  and  knew 
exactly  what  best  to  do;  so  he  would  wisely  become 
silent,  and  the  storm  which  appeared  to  be  brooding^ 
would  quickly  pass  away,  then  returning  sunshine,  cheer- 
ed with  the  warmth  of  its  kindness  the  veteran  of '55.* 

•  See  note  on  page  158.    Braddock  had  five  horses  shot  under  him  before  re- 
ceiving his  mortal  wonnd.    Bishop  was  in  close  attendance  upon  his  master  al& 

11 


162  *        RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

The  Washington  family  were  subject  to  hereditary 
gout.  The  chief  never  experienced  a  pang.  His  tem- 
perance, and  the  energetic  employment  of  both  his  body 
and  mind,  seemed  to  forbid  the  approach  of  a  disease, 
which  severely  afflicted  several  of  his  nearest  kindred. 
His  illnesses  were  of  rare  occurrence,  but  were  particu- 
larly severe.  His  aversion  to  the  use  of  medicine  was 
extreme;  and,  even  when  in  great  suflfering,  it  was 
only  by  the  entreaties  of  his  lady,  and  the  respectful,  yet 
beseeching  look  of  his  oldest  friend  and  companion  in 
arms  (Doctor  James  Craik),  that  he  could  be  prevailed 
upon  to  take  the  slightest  preparation  of  medicine.* 

General  Washington,  during  the  whole  of  both  his 
public  and  private  life,  was  a  very  early  riser ;  indeed, 

the  while,  and  assisted  in  cairjing  the  woanded  general  from  the  field.  He  was  con- 
yejed,  first  in  a  tumbrel,  then  on  horseback,  and  finallj  by  his  soldiers  on  a  litter, 
in  the  flight  toward  Fort  Cumberland.  He  was  attended  by  Dr.  James  Craik,  the 
life-long  friend  of  Washington,  and  also  by  Colonel  Washington  himself.  Braddock 
died  on  the  night  of  the  fifteenth.  Just  before  his  death,  he  commended  Bishop,  who 
had  served  him  faithfully,  to  the  protection  of  Colonel  Washington,  who,  two  hours 
afterward,  read  the  impressive  funeral  service  of  the  Anglican  church  over  his  grave, 
by  the  light  of  torches.  It  was  a  little  past  midnight  when  they  laid  their  com- 
mander in  a  grave,  dug  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  to  prevent  his  body  being  dis- 
covered and  treated  with  indignity  by  the  Indians. 

*  Colonel  Washington's  health  suffered  much  during  the  campaigns  of  1 757  and 
1758.  Late  in  the  autumn  of  1757,  he  was  compelled  to  leave  his  command  and  go 
home,  severely  suffering  from  dysentery.  His  malady,  which  had  been  wearing 
upon  him  for  some  time,  increased,  and  Doctor  Craik  warned  him  that  his  life 
was  in  danger.  He  went  home  to  Mount  Vernon,  where  his  disease  settled  into  a 
fever,  from  which  he  did  not  recover  in  less  tlian  four  months.  He  endeavored  to 
go  to  Williamsbni^g  on  ni^nt  business,  in  February  following,  but  could  not ;  and 
toward  the  close  of  that  month  he  wrote  to  Colonel  Stanwix,  saying,  "  I  have  never 
been  able  to  return  to  my  command,  since  I  wrote  to  you  last,  ray  disorder,  at  times, 
returning  obstinately  upon  me,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  all  the  sons  of  ^sculapius, 
whom  I  have  hitherto  consulted.  At  certnin  periods  I  have  been  reduced  to  great 
extremity,  and  have  now  too  much  reason  to  apprehend  my  approaching  decay 
[consumption],  being  visited  with  several  symptoms  of  such  disease."  He  was  then 
twenty-six  years  of  ago.  As  we  shall  hereafter  observe,  he  was  very  dangerously 
ill  while  president  of  the  republic. 


WASHINGTON  AT  MOUNT   VERNON.  163 

in  the  maternal  mansion,  at  which  his  first  habits 
were  formed,  the  character  of  a  sluggard  was  abhorred. 
Whether  as  chief  magistrate,  or  the  retired  citizen,  we 
find  this  man  of  method  and  labor  seated  in  his  library 
from  one  to  two  hours  before  day,  in  winter,  and  at  day- 
break in  summer.  We  wonder  at  the  amazing  amount 
of  work  which  he  performed.  Nothing  but  a  method  the 
most  remarkable  and  exemplary,  could  have  enabled' him 
to  accomplish  such  a  world  of  labor,  an  amount  which 
might  have  given  pretty  full  employment  to  half  a  dozen 
ordinary,  and  not  idle  men,  all  their  lives.  When  we 
consider  the  volume  of  his  official  papers — his  vast 
foreign,  public,  and  private  correspondence — we  are 
scarcely  able  to  believe  that  the  space  of  one  man's  life 
should  have  comprehended  the  doing  of  so  many  things, 
and  doing  them  so  well. 

His  toilette  was  soon  made.  A  single  servant  pre- 
pared his  clothes,  and  laid  them  in  readiness.  He  also 
combed  and  tied  his  hair.*  He  shaved  and  dressed  him- 
self, but  giving  very  little  of  his  precious  time  to  matters 
of  that  sort,  though  remarkable  for  the  neatness  and  pro- 
priety of  his  apparel  His  clothes  were  made  after  the 
old-fashioned  cut,  of  the  best,  though  plainest  materials.f 

*  In  those  days  the  hair  was  left  to  grow  long,  and  was  tied  ap  in  a  long  banch 
with  a  ribbon,  behind,  in  a  form  called  a  queite.  It  was  the  universal  fashion.  Powder 
was  also  used  for  the  hair,  which  gave  it  a  frosted  appearance.  This  was  pat  on 
with  a  paflT-ball,  usually  made  of  cotton  jam,  which,  with  the  powder,  was  carried  in 
a  dressed  buckskin  pouch. 

t  It  was  the  practice  in  Vli^ginia,  previous  to  the  Revolution,  for  the  planters  to 
tend  to  London  for  all  articles  in  common  use,  that  could  not  be  manufactured  as 
well  at  home,  such  as  agricultural  implements,  saddles,  bridles,  harness,  and  wearing 
apparel.  Washington  was  in  the  habit  of  sending  to  his  agent  in  London  lists  of  ar- 
ticles that  ho  desired  for  himself  and  family.  Ho  gave  the  names,  ages,  sizes,  and 
general  description  of  those  for  whom  wearing  apparel  was  needed.  In  an  order 
tent  to  Eichard  Washington,  in  1 761,  he  says,  after  referring  to  an  invoice  of  clothes 


164  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  WASHINGTON. 

When  president  of  the  TJmted  States,  the  style  of  his 
household  and  equipage  corresponded  with  the  dignity 
of  his  exalted  station,  though  avoiding  as  much  as  was  pos- 
sible eveiything  like  show  or  parade.  The  expenses  of 
his  presidency,  over  and  above  the  salary  of  government, 
absorbed  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  a  very  considerable 
estate.* 

already  sent :  "  As  they  are  designed  for  wearing  apparel  for  myself,  I  have  com- 
mitted the  choice  of  them  to  yonr  fancy,  having  the  best  opinion  of  your  taste.  I 
want  neither  lace  nor  embroidery.  Plain  clothes,  with  gold,or  silver  buttons,  if  worn 
in  genteel  dress,  are  all  that  I  desire.  Whether  it  be  tlie  fault  of  the  tailor  or  of  the 
measure  sent,  I  can  not  say,  but,  certain  it  is,  my  clothes  hare  never  fitted  mo  well. 
I  enclose  a  measure,  and,  for  a  further  direction,  I  think  it  not  amiss  to  add,  that  my 
stature  is  six  feet;  otherwise  rather  slender  than  corpulent."  He  was  six  feet  two 
inches  in  height,  according  to  the  best  authorities. 

Although  Washington  and  his  family  were  plain  in  their  persons,  they  lived  at 
homo,  and  appeared  abroad,  not  unlike  the  English  aristocracy  at  that  time.  When 
abroad,  he  always  appeared  on  horseback,  with  fine  equipments,  accompanied  by 
Bishop.  His  stable  was  well  furnished  with  thoroughbred  horses;  and  for  Mrs. 
Washington  and  her  lady-visiters,  he  kept  a  chariot  and  four  horses,  with  black  pos- 
tillions in  livery,  and  these  frequently  excited  the  admiration  of  travellers  and  dwellers 
upon  the  road  from  Mount  Vernon  to  Alexandria,  or  to  the  neighboring  estates. 

The  following  order,  sent  to  his  London  agent  for  out-of-door  equipage,  will  give 
an  idea  of  the  appearance  of  Washington  when  on  the  road : — 

'*  1  Man's  riding  saddle,  hogskin  seat,  lai^  plated  stirrups,  and  everything  com- 
plete.   Double-reined  bridle  and  Pelham  bit,  plated. 

**  A  very  neat  and  fashionable  Newmarket  saddle-cloth. 

"  A  large  and  best  portmanteau,  saddle,  bridle,  and  pillion. 

"  Cloak-bag ;  surcingle ;  checked  saddle-cloth,  holsters,  &c. 

"A  riding-frock  of  a  handsome  drab-colored  broadcloth,  with  plain  double-gilt 
buttons. 

"  A  riding  waistcoat  of  superfine  scarlet  cloth  and  gold  lace,  with  buttons  like 
those  of  the  coat. 

**  A  blue  snrtont-coat. 

**  A  neat  switch-whip,  silver  cap. 

"  Black  velvet  cap  for  servant." 

The  ladies  in  those  da3rs  rode  much  on  horseback  (usually  upon  ponies),  followed 
by  black  servants.    The  gayest  of  them  wore  scarlet  cloth  riding-habits. 

*  The  salary  of  the  president  was  then,  as  now,  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  per 
annum.  The  sale  of  that  "  considerable  estate,"  which  was  chiefly  wild  land,  is  al- 
luded to  in  Washington's  letter  to  Lawrence  Lewis,  printed  in  the  Memoir  of  tlie 
author  of  these  Recollections,  ante,  page  47. 


WASHINGTON   AT  MOUNT  VERNON.  165 

The  president  never  appeared  in  military  costume, 
unless  to  receive  his  brethren  of  the  Cincinnati,  or  at  re- 
views.* He  then  wore  the  old  opposition  colors  of  Eng- 
land, and  the  regimental  dress  of  the  volunteer  corps 
which  he  commanded  prior  to  the  Revolution.f  With 
the  exception  of  the  brilliant  epaulettes  (we  believe  a 
present  from  General  Lafayette),  and  the  diamond  order 
of  the  Cincinnati,  presented  by  the  seamen  of  the  French 
fleet,  our  allies  in  the  War  for  Independence,^  the  \mi- 
form  of  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  and  navy, 
under  the  Constitution,  was  as  plain  as  blue  and  buff 
could  make  it.  The  cocked  hat,  with  the  black  ribbon 
cockade,  was  the  only  type  of  the  heroic  time  which  ap- 
pended to  the  chief  during  his  civil  magistracy;  in  all 
other  respects,  he  seemed  studiously  to  merge  the  mili- 
tary into  the  civil  characteristics  of  his  public  life. 

About  sunrise.  General  Washington  invariably  visited 
and  inspected  his  stables.    He  was  very  fond  of  horses, 

*  A  fall  accoant  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  of  which  WaBhiqgton  was  the  firat 
president-general,  may  be  found  in  another  part  of  this  work. 

t  When  the  sessions  of  the  first  continental  Congress  closed,  the  whole  conntry, 
alive  to  the  apprehension  that  war  would  soon  be  kindled,  was  filled  with  military 
preparations.  When  Washington  returned  to  Mount  Vernon,  he  found  the  inde- 
pendent companies  throughout  the  province  waiting  for  the  voice  of  his  experience, 
to  teach  them  how  to  prepare  for  the  conflict.  He  coveted  the  sweets  of  rural  and 
domestic  life,  but  duty  bade  him  relinquish  all  for  the  good  of  his  country.  A  few 
days  after  his  arrival  home,  the  Independent  Company  of  Cadets  of  Prince  William 
county,  a  well-equipped  corps,  whose  motto  was  Aut  liber  atit  nullus,  solicited  him 
to  take  command  of  them,  as  a  field-officer.  They  had  appointed  a  committee  to 
wait  on  him  with  the  invitation,  and  to  request  him  to  "direct  the  fashion  of  their 
uniform,  and  that  they  also  acquaint  him  with  the  motto  of  their  company,  which  is 
to  be  fixed  on  their  colors."  Other  companies  offered  him  the  same  honor.  He 
yielded,  and  reviewed  the  volunteer  corps,  which  assembled  at  various  places,  always 
wearing,  on  such  occasions,  the  costume  of  a  Vii^nia  colonel  of  the  period.  It 
was  in  that  costume  that  the  elder  Peale  painted  him,  in  the  picture  now  at  Arling- 
ton house,  a  copy  of  which  is  given  in  this  volume. 

X  See  chapter  containing  an  account  of  the  "  Surrender  of  Torktown.** 


166  RECOLLECTIONS   OP  WASHINGTON. 

and  his  equipages  were  always  of  a  superior  order.  The 
horses  which  he  rode,  in  the  War  for  Independence,  were 
said  to  be  superb.  We  have  a  perfect  remembrance  of 
the  charger  which  bore  him  in  the  greatest  of  his  tri- 
umphs, when  he  received  the  sword  of  the  vanquished, 
on  the  ever-memorable  nineteenth  October,  1781.*  It 
was  a  chestnut,  with  a  white  face  and  legs,  and  was  called 
Nelson^  after  the  patriotic  governor  of  Virginia.f  Far 
different  was  the  fate  of  this  favorite  horse  of  Washing- 
ton, from  that  of  ^  the  high-mettled  racer."  When  the 
chief  had  relinquished  his  sqjat  upon  its  back,  after  the 
war  was  over,  it  was  never  mounted  more,  but  cropped 
the  herbage  in  summer,  was  housed  and  well  cared  for  in 
winter,  often  caressed  by  the  master's  hand,  and  died  of 
old  age  at  Mount  Vernon,  many  years  aflier  the  Eevolu- 
tion. 

The  library  and  a  visit  to  the  stables  occupied  the 
morning  tiU  the  hour  of  breakfast.  This  meal  was  with 
out  change  to  him,  whose  habits  were  regular,  even  to 
matters  which  others  are  so  apt  to  indulge  themselves 
in  to  endless  variety.  Indian  cakes,  honey,  and  tea, 
formed  this  temperate  repast.  J     On  rising  from  the  table, 

*  See  chapter  on  the  "  SarreDder  of  Yorktown." 

t  See  a  sketch  of  the  life  and  serrices  of  thU  gentleman  in  a  fatnre  chapter. 

X  This  abstemiousness  appears  to  have  been  a  marked  exception  to  a  general  rule. 
The  Keverend  Andrew  Bumaby,  who  travelled  quite  extensively  in  America,  in  the 
years  1759  and  1760,  and  visited  Mount  Vernon  two  or  three  times  during  the  first 
year  of  Washington's  married  life,  says  in  a  note,  "In  several  parts  of  Virginia,  the 
ancient  custom  of  eating  meat  at  breakfast  still  continues.  At  the  top  of  the  table, 
where  the  lady  of  the  house  presides,  there  is  constantly  tea  and  coffee ;  but  tlie  rest 
of  the  table  is  garnished  out  with  roast  fowls,  ham,  venison,  game,  and  other  dainties. 
Even  at  Williamsbuig,  it  is  the  custom  to  have  a  plate  of  cold  ham  upon  the  table ; 
and  there  is  scarcely  a  Vii^nian  lady  who  breakfasts  without  it." 

Speaking  of  Mount  Vernon,  Mr.  Bumaby  says :  **  This  place  is  the  property  of 
Colonel  Washington,  and  truly  deserving  of  its  owner.    The  house  is  most  bcauti 


WASHmOTON  AT  MOUNT   VERNON.  167 

tf  there  were  guests  (and  it  was  seldom  otherwise),  books 
and  papers  were  offered  for  their  amusement ;  they  were 
requested  to  take  good  care  of  themselves,  and  the  illus- 
trious farmer  proceeded  to  the  daily  tour  of  his  agri- 
cultural concerns*  He  rode  upon  his  farms  entirely 
unattended,  opening  his  gates,  pulling  down  and  putting 
up  his  fences,  as  he  passed,  visiting  his  laborers  at  their 
work,  inspecting  all  the  operations  of  his  extensive  agri- 
cultural establishments  with  a  careful  eye,  directing  use- 
ful improvements,  and  superintending  them  in  their  prog- 
ress. He  introduced  many  and  valuable  foreign  as  well 
as  domestic  modes  of  improved  husbandry,  showing,  by 
experiment,  their  practical  utility,  and  peculiar  adapta- 
tion to  our  system  of  nu:al  affairs ;  and,  by  his  zeal  and 
ability,  "  gave  a  speed  to  the  plough,"  and  a  generous 
impulse  to  the  cause  of  agricultural  and  domestic  econo- 
my— those  important  sources  of  national  wealth,  indus- 
try, and  independenccf  ^ 

fully  situated  upon  a  very  high  hill  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  and  commands  a 
noble  prospect  of  water,  of  cliffs,  of  woods,  and  plantations.  The  rirer  is  near  two 
miles  broad,  though  two  hundred  from  the  month,  and  dirides  the  dominions  of  Vir- 
ginia from  Maryland." 

*  Never  was  hospitality  dispensed  with  a  more  generous  and  kindly  spirit.  The 
translator  of  De  Chastellux's  travels  in  North  America,  at  the  close  of  the  Revo- 
lution, writing  of  the  mistress  of  that  mansion,  says :  "  Your  apartments  were  your 
house ;  the  servants  of  the  house  were  yours ;  and,  while  every  inducement  was  held 
out  to  bring  you  into  the  general  society  of  the  drawing-room,  or  at  the  table,  it 
rested  with  yourself  to  be  served  or  not  with  everything  in  your  own  chamber." 

t  Washington  raised  large  quantities  of  tobacco,  wheat,  and  Indian  com ;  and  ho 
aimed  to  have  everything  upon  his  estates  of  the  best  quality.  So  noted  for  excel- 
lence was  everjHhing  bearing  his  brand,  that  a  barrel  of  flour  stamped  "  George  Wash- 
ington.  Mount  Vernon,"  was  exempted  from  the  customary  inspection  in  the  West 
India  ports.  In  his  Diary,  under  date  of  twenty-second  January,  1790,  while  he  was 
president  of  the  United  States,  and  residing  in  New  York,  is  the  following  entry : 
"  Called  in  my  ride  on  the  Baron  de  Poollnitz,  to  see  the  operation  of  his  (Winlaw's) 
thrashing-machine.  The  effect  was,  the  heads  of  the  wheat  being  separated  from 
the  straw,  as  much  of  the  first  was  run  through  the  mill  in  15  minutes  as  made  half 


168  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINaTON. 

The  tour  of  the  farms  might  average  from  ten  to 
fifteen  miles  per  day.  An  anecdote  occurs  to  us  at  this 
moment)  which,  as  it  embraces  a  Revolutionary  worthy,  a 
long-tried  and  valued  friend  of  the  chief,  and  is  descrip- 
tive of  WasJdnffton  on  Ms  farm^  we  shall,  without  apology, 
present  it  to  our  readers. 

We  were  accosted,  while  hunting,  by  an  elderly  stran- 
ger, who  inquired  whether  the  general  was  to  be  found 
at  the  mansion  house,  or  whether  he  had  gone  to  visit 
his  estate.  We  replied,  that  he  was  abnoad,  and  gave 
directions  as  to  the  route  the  .stranger  was  to  pursue,  ob- 
serving, at  the  same  time,  ^  You  will  meet,  sir,  with  an 
old  gentleman  riding  dime,  in  plain  drab  chthes,  a  broad-brimmed 
wMte  haty  a  hickory  sivitch  in  his  hand,  and  carrying  an  um- 
brella with  a  Img  staff ,  tvJdch  is  attached  to  his  saddlebow — that 
person,  sir,  is  General  Washington  P'  The  stranger,  much 
amused  at  our  description,  observed,  with  a  good  hu- 
mored smile : — 

a  ha  she]  of  clean  wheat.  Allowing  8  working  hours  in  the  84,  this  woald  yield  16 
boshels  per  day.  Two  boys  are  safficient  to  tarn  the  wheel,  feed  the  mill,  and  re- 
move the  thrashed  grain  after  it  has  passed  through  it.  Two  men  were  unable,  by 
winnowing,  to  clear  the  wheat  as  it  passed  through  the  mill,  but  a  common  Datch 
fan,  with  the  usual  attendance,  would  be  vwre  than  sufficient  to  do  it  The  grain 
passes  through  without  bruising,  and  is  well  separated  from  the  chaff.  Women, 
or  boys  of  12  or  14  years  of  age,  are  fully  adequate  to  the  management  of  the  mill 
or  thrashing-machine.  Upon  the  whole,  it  appears  to  be  an  easier,  more  expedi- 
tious, and  much  cleaner  way  of  getting  out  grain  than  by  the  usual  mode  of  thrashing ; 
and  vastly  to  be  preferred  to  treading,  which  is  hurtful  to  horses,  filthy  to  the  wheat, 
and  not  more  expeditious,  considering  the  numbers  that  are  employed  in  the  process 
firom  the  time  the  head  is  begun  to  be  formed  until  the  grain  has  passed  finally 
through  the  fan." 

In  December  previous,  Washington,  in  a  letter  to  the  Baron  de  Poellnitz  (who  was 
the  inventor  of  several  agricultural  machines,  and  had  a  small  farm  on  York  island,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Murray  hill),  had  proposed  to  take  some  occasion  of  "  seeing  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  thrashing-machine  operated."  This  was  the  occasion  noted  in  his 
Diary.  From  some  intimations  elsewhere,  it  is  quite  certain  that  he  sent  one  of 
these  machines  to  his  general  overseer  at  Mount  Vernon. 


WASHINGTON  AT  MOUNT  VERNON.  169 

"  l^ank  ye,  thank  ye,  young  gentleman ;  I  thmk,  if  I 
fall  in  with  the  general,  I  shall  be  apt  to  know  him." 

At  dinner,  we  had  the  pleasure  of  being  introduced  to 
Colonel  Meade,*  who  had  been  aid-de-camp  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chief in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  The  um- 
brella was  not  used  by  Washington  aa  an  article  of 
luxury,  for  luxuries  were  to  him  known  only  by  name. 
Being  naturally  of  a  very  fair  complexion,  his  skin  was 
liable  to  be  affected  by  the  influence  of  the  sun.  This 
umbrella,  just  as  it  was  when  last  he  laid  it  down,  never 
again  to  require  its  friendly  shade,  we  have  had  the  good 
fortune  to  preserve  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,f  and  also  y 
the  happiness  to  present  it  the  patriarch  of  La  Grange, 
in  whose  possession  it  will  long  be  treasured  as  the  rel- 
ique  of  his  paternal  chief,  and  as  an  appropriate  memo- 
rial of  the  modem  Cincinnatus.  J 

\/  Precisely  at  a  quarter  before  three,  the  industrious 
former  always  retmmed,  dressed,  and  dined  at  three 
o'clock.  At  this  meal  he  ate  heartily,  but  was  not  par- 
ticular in  his  diet,  with  the  exception  of  fish,  of  which 
he  was  excessively  fond.  He  partook  sparingly  of 
desert,  drank  a  home-made  beverage,  and  from  four  to 
five  glasses  of  Madeira  wine.  When  the  cloth  was 
removed,  with  old-fashioned  courtesy,  he  drank  to  the 
health  of  every  person  present,  and  then  gave  his  toast, 
his  only  toast — ^  AH  our  friends'' — than  which  a  nobler 
or  a  kindlier  sentiment  never  was  pledged  at  the  board 
of  social  friendship,  or  ^  brayed  out  with  the  trumpet's 
triumphs,"  at  the  carousals  of  a  king. 

*  Colonel  Richard  K.  Meade,  father  of  Bishop  Meade,  of  Virginia, 
t  This  written  on  the  twenty-second  of  Febmary,  1827. 

X  Mr.  Castis  presented  the  umbrella  to  General  Lafayette  when  ho  was  in  thie 
country  as  the  nation's  j^aest,  in  the  years  1824  and  '25. 


170  RECOLLECnONS   OF  WASHINOTON. 

While  on  the  subject  of  toasts,  we  will  mention  an- 
other. The  late  Colonel  Cropper,  of  Accomac,  was  a 
captain  in  the  ninth  Virginia  regiment  of  the  line,  which 
formed  part  of  the  southern  division,  under  Greene,  and 
covered  the  retreat  of  our  discomfitted  army  at  the  battle 
of  Brandywine.  On  the  evening  of  that  hard-fought 
day,  Cropper  marched  the  remains  of  his  company  into 
Chester,  having  his  handkerchief  fastened  to  a  ramrod, 
in  place  of  a  flag  *  After  serving  his  coimtry  with  fidelity 
and  distinction.  Colonel  Cropper  retired  to  his  estate  on. 
the  Eastern  shore,  where  he  lived  to  an  advanced  age. 
This  worthy  veteran,  like  his  general,  had  but  one  toast, 
which  he  gave  every  day,  and  to  all  companies ;  it  was, 
"  God  bless  General  Washington."  Toasts  are  supposed 
to  convey  the  feelings  and  wishes  of  our  hearts ;  and  if 
ever  an  aspiration,  warm  and  direct  from  the  heart,  de- 
served to  find  favor  with  ^  heaven's  chancery  "  on  high, 
it  was  when,  with  pious  fervor,  this  old  soldier's  prayer 
implored  a  blessing  upon  his  revered  commander. 

The  afternoon  was  usually  devoted  to  the  library.    At 

*  A  British  army,  under  General  Sir  William  Howe,  landed  from  a  British  fleet 
commanded  by  his  brother,  Bichard  Earl  Howe,  a  few  miles  below  Elkton,  on  the 
shores  of  Chesapeake  bay,  toward  the  close  of  Augast,  1777.  Washington,  with  the 
American  army,  marched  soathward  from  Philadelphia  to  oppose  Howe's  progress  into 
the  country,  and  advanced  some  distance  beyond  the  Brandywine  creek.  When  the 
British  approached,  he  was  compelled  to  fall  back  to  the  eastern  side  of  that  stream, 
and  near  Chad's  ford,  he  made  a  disposition  of  his  forces  to  oppose  the  passage  of  the 
enemy.  Philadelphia  was  the  prize  for  which  Howe  was  pressing,  and  Washington 
resolved  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  keep  it  out  of  his  hands.  By  a  stealthy  move- 
ment, Comwallis,  under  cover  of  a  fog,  marched  up  the  west  side  of  the  Brandy- 
wine with  a  large  force,  crossed,  and  fell  suddenly  upon  the  right  wing  of  the  Amer- 
ican army,  under  General  Sullivan.  A  severe  contest  ensued.  Soon  afterward, 
Enyphausen,  the  Hessian  general,  crossed  Chad's  ford  and  attacked  the  American 
centre,  and  after  a  hot  battle,  the  republicans  were  driven  from  the  field,  and  fled  to 
Chester  that  night.  The  next  morning  they  continued  their  retreat  toward  Phila- 
delphia, and  encamped  near  Germantown,  where,  soon  afterward,  a  severe  engage- 
ment occurred,  whl.h  is  described  in  another  chapter. 


WASHINGTON  AT  MOUNT  VERNON.  171 

night,  his  labors  over,  the  venerated  citizen  would  join 
his  family  and  friends  at  the  tea-table,  and  enjoy  their 
society  for  several  hours.  He  took  no  supper,  and  about 
nine  o'clock  retired  to  bed.  When  without  company,  he 
frequently  read  to  his  family  extracts  from  the  new  pub- 
lications of  the  day ;  and,  on  Sunday,  sermons  and  other 
sacred  writings.*  He  read  with  distinctness  and  preci- 
sion, though  with  a  voice,  the  tones  of  which  had  been 
considerably  broken  by  a  pulmonary  affection  in  early 
life,  and  which,  when  greatly  excited,  produced  a  labor- 
ing of  the  chest  He  would  frequently,  when  sitting 
with  his  family,  appear  absent ;  his  lips  would  move,  his 
hand  be  raised,  and  he  would  evidently  seem  under  the 
influence  of  thoughts,  which  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
quiet  scene  around  him.  This  peculiarity  is  readily 
accounted  for,  since  it  must  be  no  very  easy  matter  for 
one  who  so  long  had  borne  the  cares  of  public  life,  at 
once  to  lay  aside  all  thoughts  for  others,  and  become 
content  with  individual  concerns. 

In  winter,  when  stress  of  weather  prevented  his  taking 
his  usual  exercise,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  walking  for  an 
hour  in  the  eastern  portico  of  the  mansion,  before  retir- 
ing to  rest  As  that  portico  is  more  than  ninety  feet  in 
length,  this  walk  would  comprise  several  miles.f 

*  In  the  libraiy  at  Mount  Vernon,  there  are  several  yolnmes  of  sermons,  and 
other  religions  books,  written  bj  old  English  divines.  In  one  of  these,  written  by 
Sir  Matthew  Hale,  are  the  aatographs  of  the  two  wives  of  Washington's  lather, 
Jane  Washington  and  Mary  Washington  —  the  latter  (the  mother  of  the  general) 
written  andcr  the  former. 

t  In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Ramnej  (a  gentleman  about  to  depart  for  England),  in 
which  Washington  desires  him  to  make  some  inqairies  there  about  certain  kinds  of 
marble,  with  which  he  would  like  to  pave  the  floor  of  the  portico,  he  sajs :  "  The 
piazza,  or  colonade,  for  which  this  is  wanted  as  a  floor,  is  ninety-two  feet  eight 
inches,  by  twelve  feet  eight  inches,  within  the  maigin  or  border  that  surrounds  it." 


172  BECOLLECnONS  OF  WASHmOXON. 

Thus,  in  the  seldom-varied  routine  of  useful  industry, 
temperate  enjoyment,  and  the  heartfelt  gratifications  of 
domestic  felicity,  sped  the  latter  days  of  the  Father  of 
his  Country ;  and  oh !  it  was  delightful  to  behold  this 
"  time-honored  man,'*  the  race  of  whose  glory  was  run,  who 
had  reax^hed  the  goal  of  all  his  most  earnest  desires,  and 
obtained  a  reward  for  all  his  toils,  in  the  contemplation  of 
the  freedom  and  happiness  of  a  rising  empire,  resting 
fix)m  his  mighty  labors,  amid  the  tranquil  retirement  of 
Mount  Vernon. 

The  sedentary  occupations  of  a  president  of  the  United 
States  necessarily  limited  the  opportunities  for  active 
exercise.  These  were  principally  enjoyed  in  occasional 
rides  to  the  country,  and  in  frequent  walks  to  his  watch- 
maker's, in  Second  street^  for  the  purpose  of  regulating 
his  watch  by  the  time-keeper.*  As  he  passed  along, 
often  would  mothers  bring  their  children  to  look  on  the 
paternal  chief,  yet  not  a  word  was  heard  of  president  of 
the  United  States :  the  little  innocents  were  alone  "  taught 
J  to  lisp  the  name  of.  WASfflNGTON."  He  was  rather  par- 
tial to  children ;  their  infantine  playfulness  appeared  to 
please  him,  and  many  are  the  parents  who  at  this  day 
rejoice  that  his  patriarchal  hands  have  touched  their  off 
spring.f 

*  This  was  while  he  resided  in  Philadelphia. 

t  Thousands  of  children  have  since  borne  the  name,  ^ven  them  at  baptism,  of 
George  Washington.  In  the  Londonderry  (Ireland)  Journal,  February  30,  1783,  is 
the  following  item :  "  Whereas,  on  February  1 4,  1783,  it  pleased  kind  Providence  to 
confer  on  Mathew  Neely,  of  Bumally,  parish  of  Tamlaghtsinlagan,  and  county  of 
Londonderry,  a  man-child,  whose  appearance  is  promising  and  amiable,  and  hopes 
the  Being  who  first  caused  him  to  exist  will  grant  him  grace. 

"  Also,  in  consideration  and  in  remembrance  of  the  many  heroic  deeds  done  by 
that  universally-renowned  patriot.  General  Washington,  the  said  Mathew  Neely  hath 
done  himself  the  honor  of  calling  the  said  man-child  by  the  name  of  Geor^  Waah- 
ington  Nedy,  he  being  the  first  child  known,  or  so  called,  in  this  kingdom,  by  the 


WASHINGTON  AT  MOUNT  VBBNON.  173 

General  Washington  was  always  a  strict  and  decorous 
observer  of  the  sabbath.  He  invariably  attended  divine 
service  once  a  day,  when  within  reach  of  a  place  of  wor- 
ship *  His  respect  for  the  clergy,  as  a  body,  was  shown 
by  public  entertainments  to  them,  the  same  as  to  the 
corps  legislative  and  diplomatic ;  and  among  his  bosom 
friends  were  the  present  venerable  bishop  of  Pennsylva- 
nia^f  and  the  late  excellent  prelate  and  ardent  friend  of 
American  liberty,  Doctor  Carroll,  archbishop  of  Balti- 
more.J 

name  of  Wasbio^ii,  that  brilliant  western  star."  See  Massachusetts  Magazine^ 
i.,  62,  Janaaiy,  1789.  It  wonld  be  Tory  difficult  to  ascertain  who  was  the  first  per- 
son so  named  in  this  conntry. 

*  Washington  was  a  member,  in  fall  communion,  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church,  and  was  for  many  years  before  and  after  the  Revolution,  a  vestryman  in 
«Tmro  parish,  whose  church  (Pohick)  built  under  his  supervision,  is  yet  standing.  I 
have  before  me  the  original  drawing  of  the  ground-plan  and  elevation  of  that  church, 
made  by  Washington  himself.  He  was  also  a  vestryman  previous  to  the  Bevolution, 
in  Fairfax  parish,  whose  church,  wherein  he  frequently  worshipped,  is  yet  standing, 
in  the  city  of  Alexandria.  While  president  of  the  United  States,  and  residing  in 
New  York,  he  attended  Saint  Paul's  church ;  in  Philadelphia,  Christ  church.  He 
seldom  went  to  the  sanctuary  in  the  afternoon,  according  to  his  own  diary. 

t  Right  Reverend  William  White,  D.  D.,  the  first  American  bishop  in  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  church.  He  was  a  son  of  a  Philadelphia  lawyer,  and  was  bom  in 
that  city,  on  the  fourth  of  April,  1748.  The  preaching  of  Whitefield  greatly  deep- 
ened his  habitual  and  religious  feelings,  and  on  graduating  at  the  college  in  Phila- 
delphia, at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  he  commenced  the  study  of  theology.  He  was 
ordained  a  deacon  in  London  In  1770,  and  before  he  returned,  in  1772,  he  received 
priest's  orders.  He  was  first  an  assistant  minister  of  Christ  church,  Philadelphia ; 
and  he  was  a  faithful  pastor  in  that  parish  for  sixty-four  years.  He  was  chaplain  to 
the  continental  Congress  a  short  time  in  1777  ;  and  in  1787  he  and  Doctor  Provoost, 
of  New  York,  were  consecrated  bishops.  He  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  framing 
the  constitution  of  the  church  in  America,  and  compiled  its  liturgy  and  canons. 
Among  his  last  official  labors  was  the  preparation  of  instructions  for  missionaries 
going  to  China.  That  was  in  1835,  when  he  was  eighty-eight  years  of  age.  He 
preached  his  last  sermon  in  June,  1836,  and  on  the  seventeenth  of  the  following 
month  he  expired,  when  little  more  than  eighty-nine  years  old. 

X  Right  Reverend  John  Carroll,  B.  B.,  the  first  bishop  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church  in  the  United  States.  He  was  born  at  Upper  Marlborough,  Maryland,  on 
the  eighth  of  January,  1735.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he  was  sent  to  the  college  of 
St.  Omer,  in  IVench  Flanders,  where  he  remained  until  he  was  transferred  to  the  Jos- 


174  BECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

On  Sunday  no  visiters  were  admitted  to  the  president's 
house,  save  the  immediate  relatives  of  the  family,  with 
only  one  exception :  Mr.  Speaker  Trumbull,  since  gover- 
nor of  Connecticut,  and  who  had  been  confidential  secre- 
tary to  the  chief  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  was  in  the 
habit  of  spending  an  hour  with  the  president,  on  Sunday 
evenings  *  Trumbull  practised  the  lesson  of  punctuality, 
which  he  learned  in  the  service  of  the  olden  time,  with 
such  accuracy,  that  the  porter,  by  consulting  his  clock, 
could  tell  when  to  stand  ready  to  open  to  the  Speaker's 
Bellj  as  it  was  called  in  the  family,  from  the  circimistance 
of  no  hand,  other  than  the  speaker's,  touching  the  bell 
on  the  evenings  of  the  sabbath. 

aits'  college  at  Liege,  six  years  afterward.  He  was  ordained  a  Jesuit  priest  in  1769^^ 
became  a  teacher  in  the  college  of  Liege,  and  in  1773,  when  the  Jesuits  were  expelled 
from  France,  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  a  professorship  at  Bruges,  to  which  he  had 
lately  been  appointed,  and  retire  to  England.  He  trayellod  much,  and  returned  to 
his  native  country  in  1775.  He  accompanied  a  committee  of  the  continental  Con- 
gress, on  a  political  mission  to  Canada  in  the  spring  of  the  following  year,  and 
throughout  the  War  for  Independence,  ho  was  attached  to  the  patriot  cause.  In 
1786  he  was  appointed  vicar-general  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  in  America. 
In  1790  he  was  consecrated  a  bishop,  and  the  following  year  founded  the  college  at 
Georgetown.  On  the  invitation  of  Congress,  he  delivered  a  eulogy  on  Washington, 
in  St.  Peter's  church,  Baltimore,  on  the  twenty-second  of  February,  1800.  In  1808, 
Doctor  Carroll  was  made  archbishop,  with  four  suffragan  bishops.  With  every  addi- 
tional duty,  his  zeal  for  his  Zion  seemed  to  increase,  and  he  labored  faithfully  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  at  Baltimore,  on  the  third  of  December,  1815,  when  bo 
was  eighty  years  of  age. 

*  Jonathan  Trumbull,  son  of  the  patriotic  governor  of  Connecticut,  of  the  same 
name.  He  was  bom  at  Lebanon,  in  March  1740,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  col- 
lege in  1759.  From  1775  to  the  close  of  the  campaign  in  1778,  he  was  paymaster 
to  the  army  in  the  northern  department.  In  1780,  he  was  appointed  secretary  and 
aid  to  General  Washington,  and  in  that  situation  he  remained  until  the  end  of  the 
war,  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  perfect  confidence  of  the  commander-in-chief.  Ho 
was  chosen  a  representative  in  the  first  Congress  under  the  federal  constitution, 
and  in  1791  became  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives.  He  was  elevated  to 
tlie  senate  in  1794,  and  in  1798  succeeded  Oliver  Wolcott  as  governor  of  his  native 
state.  He  remained  in  office  until  his  death,  a  period  of  eleven  years.  He  died  at 
Lebanon,  on  the  seventh  of  August,  1809,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years. 


WASHINGTON  AT  MOUNT  VERNON.  175 

The  remarkable  degree  of  admiration  and  awe  that 
was  felt  by  every  one,  upon  the  first  approach  to  Wash- 
ington, evidences  the  imposing  power  and  sublimity 
which  belongs  to  real  greatness.  Even  the  frequenters 
of  the  courts  of  princes  were  sensible  of  this  exalted  feel- 
ing, when  in  the  presence  of  the  hero,  who,  formed  for  the 
highest  destinies,  bore  an  impress  from  nature,  which  de- 
clared him  to  be  one  among  the  noblest  of  her  works  * 

Those  who  have  only  seen  him  as  the  leader  of  armies 
and  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  republic,  can  have  but  an 
imperfect  idea  of  him  when  merged  into  the  retired  citi- 
zen, embosomed  among  his  family  and  friends,  cultivating 
the  social  and  domestic  virtues,  and  dispensing  pleasure 
and  happiness  to  all  aroimd  him. 

Persons  in  general  have  been  in  error,  in  supposing 
that  there  belonged  to  this  dignified  man  nothing  of  the 
gentler  sort — "  no  tear  for  pity."  In  the  master-spirit 
in  the  direction  of  those  vast  events  which  gave  a  new 
empire  to  the  world,  the  austerity  of  command  could 
never  destroy  those  kindlier  feelings  in  which  he  delight- 
ed to  indulge  himself  and  to  inspire  them  in  others. 
Stern  he  was,  to  all  whom  he  deemed  wanting  in  those 
high  moral  requisites,  which  dignify  and  adorn  our 
natures — stem  he  was,  to  the  disturbers  of  the  repose 
of  society,  the  violators  of  those  institutions  which  pro- 
mote peace  and  good  will  among  men ;  but  he  was  for- 

♦  It  is  related  of  the  Honorable  Gouverneur  Morris,  who  was  remarkable  for  his 
freedom  of  deportment  toward  his  friends,  that  on  one  occasion  he  offered  a  wager 
that  he  could  treat  General  Washington  with  the  same  familiarity  as  he  did  others. 
This  challenge  was  accepted,  and  the  performance  tried.  Mr.  Morris  slapped  Wash- 
ington familiarly  on  the  shoulder,  and  said,  "  How  are  yon,  this  morning,  general  V* 
Washington  made  no  reply,  but  tnmed  his  eyes  upon  Mr.  Morris  with  a  glance  that 
fidriy  withered  him.  Ho  afterward  acknowledged,  that  nothing  could  induce  him  to 
attempt  tho  same  thing  again. 


\1 


176  BECOLLEOnONS   OP  WASHINGTON, 

bearing  toward  the  imperfections  of  human  kind,  where 
they  arose  from  the  passions  only,  and  not  from  the  de- 
pravity of  the  heart 

He  was  reserved  toward  the  many ;  but  there  were  a 
chosen  few,  who,  having  passed  that  barrier,  were  wooed 
by  his  kindly  friendship  to  push  their  fortunes,  till  they 
finally  gained  footing  in  the  citadel  of  his  esteem. 

He  was  tender,  compassionate,  and  sympathizing.  We 
have  seen  him  shed  tears  of  parental  solicitude  over  the 
manifold  errors  and  follies  of  our  imworthy  youth  *  He 
shed  a  tear  of  sorrow  for  his  suffering  country  in  the 
dark  hour  of  her  destiny ;  and  a  tear  of  joy  and  gratitude 
to  heaven  for  her  deliverance,  when,  in  1789,  he  cross- 
ed the  bridge  of  Trentouy  where  the  hands  of  fi:eemen 
^  reared  for  him  triumphal  bowers,"  while  a  choir  of  in- 
nocents, with  seraph  chant,  "  welcomed  the  mighty  chief 
once  more,"  and  ^  virgins  fair,  and  matrons  grave,  strewed 
the  hero's  way  with  flowers."f 

The  journey  of  the  first  president  to  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment waa  one  continued  triumph ;  but  nowhere  was 
it  of  so  feeling  a  character  as  at  the  bridge  of  Trenton. 
That  was,  indeed,  a  classic  ground.  It  was  there,  on  a 
frozen  surface,  that,  in  1776,  was  achieved  the  glorious 
event  which  restored  the  fast-failing  fortunes  of  liberty, 
and  gave  to  her  drooping  eagles  a  renewed  and  bolder 
flight  What  a  contrast  to  the  chief  must  have  been  this 
spot  in  1789,  when  no  longer  "a  mercenary  foe  aimed 
against  him  the  fatal  blow  f  when  no  more  was  heard 

*  See  tho  correspondence  between  Washington  and  young  Castis  during  the  col- 
legiate days  of  the  latter,  appended  to  the  Memoir. 

t  A  more  minute  account  of  Washington's  reception  at  Trenton,  when  on  his  way 
to  New  York,  in  the  spring  of  1 789,  to  he  inaugurated  the  first  president  of  the 
United  States,  will  be  found  in  another  chapter.  . 


WASHINGTOK  AT  MOUNT  YEBNON.  177 

the  roar  of  combat^  the  shouts  of  the  victors,  the  groans 
of  the  dying — but  the  welcome  of  thousands  to  liberty's 
great  defender — the  heartfelt  homage  of  freemen  to  the* 
deliverer  of  his  country.  The  president  alighted  from 
his  carriage^  and  approached  the  bridge  uncovered.  As 
he  passed  under  the  triumphal  arch,  a  cherub,  in  the 
form  of  a  young  girl,  perched  amid  the  foliage  that 
covered  it^  crowned  him  with  laurel  which  will  never 
fade,  while  the  sweetest  minstrelsy  fix)m  human  lips 
filled  the  air,  as  the  hero  trod  on  his  way  of  flowers. 
Washington  then  shed  tears — tears  of  the  deepest  emo- 
tion. 

The  merit  of  these  appropriate  and  classical  decora- 
tions is  due  to  the  late  Mrs.  Stockton,  of  Princeton,  a 
lady  of  superior  literary  acquirements  and  refined  taste. 
She  waa  familiarly  called  duchess,  from  her  elegance  and 
dignity  of  manners.  She  was  a  most  ardent  patriot 
during  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and,  with  the  Stockton 
&mily,  was  marked  for  persecution  on  the  ruthless  inva- 
sion of  the  Jerseys.*    This  distinguished  lady  was  the 

*  Like  others  of  the  signers  of  the  great  Declaration,  Mr.  Stockton  was  marked 
for  pecoliar  Tcngeance  by  the  enemy.  So  suddenly  did  the  flying  Americans  pass 
by  FHnoeton,  in  the  antamn  of  1776,  and  so  soon  were  the  Hessian  Tnltnres  and 
their  British  companions  on  the  trail,  that  he  had  barely  time  to  remove  his  famUy 
to  a  place  of  safety  before  his  beantifal  mansion  was  filled  with  mde  soldiery.  The 
house  was  pillaged ;  the  horses  and  stock  were  driyen  away ;  the  furniture  was  con- 
yerted  into  fuel ;  the  choice  old  wines  in  the  cellar  were  drunk ;  the  yaluable  library 
and  all  the  papers  of  Mr.  Stockton  were  committed  to  the  flames,  and  the  estate  was 
laid  waste.  The  plate  had  been  hastily  buried  in  the  woods,  in  boxes.  A  treacher- 
ous serrant  reyealed  their  place  of  concealment,  and  two  of  the  boxes  were  disinter- 
red and  rifled  of  their  contents ;  the  other  was  saved.  Mr.  Stockton  and  family  took 
refuge  with  a  friend  in  Monmouth  county.  His  place  of  concealment  was  discovered 
by  a  party  of  refugee  loyalists,  who  entered  the  house  at  night,  dragged  him  fW>m 
his  bed,  and  treating  him  with  every  indignity  which  malice  could  invent,  hurried  him 
to  Amboy,  and  from  thence  to  New  Toric,  where  he  was  confined  in  the  loathsome 
pmvost  jail.    There  he  sufibred  dreadfully;  and  when,  through  the  interposition  of 

12 


178  BJSCOLLSCnONB  OP  WAfiHIKGTON. 

grandmother  of  Mr.  Secretary  RuBh,  who  is  ^doubly 
blessed"  in  his  Revolutionary  ancestry ;  both  his  father 
'  and  grandfather  having  signed  ihe  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence— a  most  honored  distinction,  and,  we  believe, 
enjoyed  by  no  other  citizen  of  our  extensive  American 
empire* 

Congress,  h»  was  releued,  his  constitatioB  was  hopekasly  shattered,  and  he  did  not 
live  to  see  the  independence  of  his  oountiy  achieyed.  He  died  at  Morven,  his  seat  at 
Princeton,  in  February,  1781,  blessed  to  the  last  with  the  tender  and  affectionate 
attentions  of  his  Annis,  whom  he  called  "  the  best  of  women.**  Night  and  day  she 
was  at  his  bedside,  and  when  his  spirit  was  about  to  depart,  she  wiote^  impromptu, 
several  verses,  of  which  the  following  is  indicative  of  her  feelings : — 

"  Ob,  could  I  take  the  fate  to  him  assigned. 
And  leave  the  helpless  family  their  head. 
How  pleased,  how  peaceful  to  my  lot  resigned, 
I  'd  quit  the  nurse's  station  for  the  bed  I" 

Losnng*8  Field-Book  of  (he  Reuoiutum. 

Mrs.  Ellet,  in  her  Women  of  the  Revolution,  has  given  an  interesting  biography  of 
Mrs.  Annis  Stockton.  She  relates,  that  when  that  excellent  lady  heard  of  the  de- 
struction of  the  library,  she  remarked,  that  "  there  were  two  books  in  it  she  wonid 
like  to  have  saved — the  Bible  and  Young's  Night  Thoughts."  Tndition  tajs,  that 
these  two  books  were  the  only' ones  left 

*  Honorable  Richard  Rush,  of  Philadelphia.  When  Mr.  Cnstis  wrote,  he  was  in 
the  cabinet  of  IVesident  Adams,  as  secretary  of  the  treasury,  and  in  the  prime  of 
life,  being  about  forty-seven  years  of  age.  He  was  graduated  at  Princeton  college 
in  1797,  became  a  lawyer,  and  in  1811  was  appointed  attorney-general  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  became  the  United  States  attorney-general  in  1814.  He  was  secretary 
of  state  under  President  Monroe,  and  then  succeeded  John  Quincy  Adams  as  min- 
ister at  the  court  of  St  James.  There  he  remained  over  seven  years,  when  Mr. 
Adams  called  him  into  his  cabinet.  During  that  time  he  negotiated  some  very  im- 
portant treaties.  At  the  request  of  President  Jackson,  Mr.  Rush  went  to  London, 
in  1836,  to  obtain  Mr.  Smithson's  legacy  to  the  United  States,  out  of  the  English 
coart  of  chancery.  In  August,  1838,  he  returned  with  the  entire  sum.  In  1847, 
President  Polk  appointed  him  minister  to  France.  After  his  return  he  remained  in 
private  life,  at  his  beautiful  seat  of  Sydenham,  near  Philadelphia,  where,  on  the  veiige 
of  octogenarian  honors  (having  been  bom  in  1780)  he  died  on  the  Ist  of  August,  1859. 
In  1857,  Mr.  Rush  prepared  and  published  a  valuable  little  volume,  entitled,  Waah- 
ington  in  Domestic  Life,  from  original  letters  and  manuscripts  then  in  his  possession. 


BA^TTLE  OF  FBIKCETON  AND  DEATH  OF  MERCER.         179 


CHAPTER  IIL 

BATTLE   OF  PRINCETON  AND   DEATH   OF   GENERAL  MERCER. 

SxBOBS  ov  HiBTomT— MiLincsB  OF  MsBOEB's  Fall  avd  Bsoxptiov  or  Dsath-Wovkim— 
Taxxn  to  CLASK'to  HovBX,  XKAX  THB  Battlx-Fixld — Majob  Lbwib  bxmt  to  takx  Gabb  of 

HbC  — HB  AOCITBATB  EXOWLXDOB  OF  HIB  SlTlTATXOX  —  HiB  EXFLAJTATION  OF  XIS  WOUXDB— 

HibDbath— HuBvBiAL-PLAaB  — Akbcdotb  OF  BIB  Eablt  Patbxotibm^Dbath  OF  Gaf- 
TAur  Lebub— DocroB  Sirsn — Thb  Sevbntbbjuh  Bbitibh  Bxoimxbt—  Gomfosxtiob  of  tiib 
Ajibbioab  Abmt— Thb  Dib   oabt  at  Pbxnoxtom  —  Wabhikoton  ok  nn  Battlb-Fixld 

THBBB  —  GOLOXBL  FiTZGXBALD,  HIB  AiP-DB-GaHP. 

There  has  always  been  an  erroneous  impression  on  the 
public  mind,  concerning  the  death  of  General  Mercer, 
who  fell  at  the  batfle  of  Princeton,  January  3,  1777.* 

*  The  battle  at  Princetoa  occurred  a  few  days  after  Washingtoa's  triamph  at 
TrentOQ,  on  the  morning  of  the  twenty-sixth  of  December,  1776,  and  was  the  close 
of  a  melancholy,  yet  brilliant  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  old  War  for  Independence. 
A  little  while  before,  Washington  and  his  army  had  been  expelled  from  the  east  side 
of  the  Hadson  riyer,  and  for  the  space  of  three  weeks  were  flying  across  New  Jersey 
before  a  yictorioas  pnrsaer,  who  was  so  dose  upon  him  at  times,  that  each  ooold 
bear  the  martial  mnsic  of  the  other.  The  flight  ended  and  repose  came  only  when 
the  Americans  had  crossed  the  Delaware,  taken  all  the  boats  with  them,  and  placed 
a  broad  and  rapid  stream  flUed  with  ice,  between  themselves  and  the  foe. 

The  British  formed  small  encampments  along  the  Jersey  side  of  the  Delaware, 
from  Trenton  to  Barlington,  and  below.  At  Trenton  were  a  thousand  Hessian  and 
some  British  cavalry.  On  Christmas  night,  Washington  with  his  refreshed  troops 
recrossed  the  Delaware,  eight  miles  aboYe  Trenton,  and  early  in  the  morning,  fdl 
upon  and  captured  those  hirelings,  and,  with  his  prisoners,  went  back  to  the  Pienn- 
lylvaaia  shore. 

Onoe  more  Washington  recrossed  the  Delaware,  and  with  five  thousand  aoldiers, 
encamped  there.  On  the  second  of  January  Comwallis,  with  veteran  British  troope, 
came  from  Princeton  to  attack  turn.  There  was  some  fighting  at  Trenton  just  at 
evening,  when  the  British  general,  feeling  sure  that  he  could  capture  the  whole 
American  army  in  the  morning,  took  rest  for  the  sight.  The  Americans  were  in 
greai  peril.  They  eoold  not  retreat  across  the  river,  and  were  too  feeble  to  fight  so 
large  an  army  aa  that  before  them,  with  any  chance  for  suoeess.    So,  at  midnight, 


180  BBCOLLEOnONB  OF  WASfflNGTON. 

We  offer  the  homage  of  our  veneration  for  this  martyr^s 
memory,  by  giving  to  his  adopted  country  and  the  world 
authentic  particulars  of  the  heroism  and  devotion  that 
attended  his  fall.  Our  authority  is  derived  &om  the  late 
Major  George  Lewis,  the  nephew  of  the  commander-in- 
chief,  and  captain  of  his  Guard,  and  who  was  sent  in  with 
a  flag  to  afford  to  the  wounded  general  every  possible 
comfort  and  assistance. 

It  was  immediately  after  the  sharp  conflict  at  the 
fence*  between  the  advanced  guard  of  the  American 
army,  led  by  General  Mercer,  and  the  British  seven- 
teenth regiment^  and  the  retreat  of  the  Americans 
through  the  orchard  near  to  Clark's  house  and  bam, 
that  General  Mercer,  while  exerting  himself  to  rally  his 

the  g;roand  having  frosen  lo  as  to  allow  them  to  roll  away  their  cannon,  the  whole 
army  decamped,  by  an  nnfreqaented  road,  toward  Princeton,  leaving  their  camp-fires 
burning,  to  deceive  the  British.  In  the  morning  Cornwallis  was  mortified  to  find 
his  expected  prey  had  escaped ;  and  the  first  intimation  that  he  had  of  the  direction 
in  which  he  had  fled,  was  the  booming  of  cannon  at  Princeton,  jost  at  sunrise,  which, 
though  a  clear  morning,  and  in  midwinter,  he  mistook  for  distant  thunder.  Then 
commenced  the  battle  of  Princeton  between  a  part  of  Washington's  army,  under 
General  Meroer,  and  some  British  troops  that  had  Just  begun  their  march  to 
join  Cornwallis  at  Princeton.  In  that  battle  the  Americans  were  victorious,  and 
going  into  winter-quarters  among  the  hills  near  Morristown  immediately  afterward, 
Washington,  by  sending  out  detachments  and  otherwise,  drove  the  enemy  out  of 
New  Jersey,  except  at  Brunswick  and  Amboy. 

*  When  the  British  brigade,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Mawhood,  first  discovered 
the  Americans,  under  Mercer,  near  Princeton,  they  wheeled,  and  both  parties  rushed 
forward  to  cross  Stony  brook,  then  a  full  and  frozen  stream,  at  Worth's  mills,  in 
order  to  gain  the  high  and  advantageous  ground  beyond,  toward  Princeton.  The 
British  crossed  first,  but  Mercer  and  his  troops  soon  reached  the  house  and  ordiards 
of  William  Clark,  eastward  of  the  present  turnpike  from  Princeton  to  Trenton. 
Mercer  there  perceived  the  British  line  approaching  firom  the  opposite  side  of  the 
height,  and  pushed  through  the  orchard  to  a  hedge-fence,  from  behind  which  his  rifle- 
men dischaiged  a  deadly  volley.  It  was  quickly  returned  by  the  enemy,  who  in- 
stantly charged.  The  Americans,  armed  only  with  rifles  and  muskets,  could  not 
withstand  the  furious  attack  of  the  British  bayonets.  After  the  third  fire  they 
abandoned  the  fence  and  fled  in  great  disorder. 


BATTLE  OF  PRINCETON  AND  DEATH  OF  MERCER.         181 

broken  troops,  was  brought  to  the  ground  by  a  blow 
£rom  the  butt  of  a  musket  He  was  on  foot  at  this 
time — the  gray  horse  he  rode  at  the  begmning  of  the 
action  having  been  disabled  by  a  ball  in  the  fore-leg. 
The  British  soldiers  were  not  at  first  aware  of  the  gen- 
eral's rank,  for,  the  morning  being  very  cold,  he  wore  a 
surtout  over  his  uniform.  So  soon  as  they  discovered 
that  he  was  a  general  oflficer,  they  shouted  that  they  had 
got  the  rebel  general,  and  cried,  "  Call  for  quarters  you 
d — d  rebel!"  Mercer  to  the  most  undaunted  courage 
united  a  quick  and  ardent  temperament :  he  replied  with 
indignation  to  his  enemies,  while  their  bayonets  were  at 
his  bosom,  that  he  deserved  not  the  name  of  rebel ;  and, 
determining  to  die  as  he  had  Uved,  a  true  and  honored 
soldier  of  liberty,  lunged  with  his  sword  at  the  nearest 
man.  They  then  bayoneted  him,  and  left  him  for  dead. 
Upon  the  retreat  of  the  enemy,  the  wounded  general 
was  conveyed  to  Clark's  house,  immediately  adjoining 
the  field  of  battle.*  The  information  that  the  com- 
mander-in-chief first  received  of  the  feU  of  his  old  com- 
panion in  arms  of  the  war  of  1755,  and  beloved  officer, 
was  that  he  had  expired  imder  his  numerous  wounds ; 
and  it  was  not  until  the  American  army  was  in  full 
march  for  Morristown  that  the  chief  was  undeceived,  and 
learned,  to  his  great  gratification,  that  Mercer,  though 
fearfully  wounded,  was  yet  alive.f    Upon  the  first  halt 

*  This  was  then  a  new  hoose,  owned  by  Thomas  Clark,  a  member  of  the  Society 
of  Friends,  or  Qaakers.  It  is  yet  [1859]  standing,  and  in  possession  of  a  member 
of  the  Clark  family.  There  General  Mercer  was  nursed  by  Sarah  Clark  and  a  colored 
woman  belonging  to  the  family.  The  house  stands  on  the  south  side  of  the  battle- 
field, and  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  south  of  Princeton. 

t  Washington  wrote  to  the  president  of  Congress  on  the  fifth  of  January,  1777, 
from  Flnckemin,  New  Jersey,  giving  an  account  of  eyents  in  which  he  had  been  en- 
gaged since  his  communication  from  Trenton,  on  the  first  of  the  month,  and  men- 


182  EBOOLUBCTIONS  OF  WASHUfOTON. 

at  Somerset  courtliouse^  Washington  despatched  Major 
George  Lewis  with  a  flag  and  a  letter  to  Lord  Com- 
wallis^  requesting  that  every  possible  attention  might  be 
shown  to  the  wounded  general^  and  permission  that 

tioned  the  death  of  General  Mercer.  Two  dajs  afterward  he  wrote :  "  I  am  happy 
to  inform  yon,  that  the  accoont  of  General  Mercer's,  death,  transmitted  in  my  laat, 
was  prematare,  though  it  was  mentioned  as  certain  by  many  who  saw  him  after  he 
was  wounded.  By  intelligence  ih)m  Princeton  yesterday  eyening,  he  was  alire,  and 
seemed  as  if  he  wonld  do  well.  Unhappily  he  is  a  prisoner.  Had  it  not  been  for 
the  information  of  his  death,  I  would  have  tried  to  bring  him  away,  thou^J  beliere 
it  could  not  have  been  effected." 

General  Mercer  died  on  the  twelfth,  at  Clark's  house,  and  was  buried  there,  but 
two  days  afterward  his  remains  were  removed  to  Philadelphia,  and  interred  inth 
military  honors,  in  Christ  churchyard.  A  committee  of  the  Congress  was  appointed 
to  consider  what  honor  should  be  paid  to  the  memories  of  General  Warren,  killed 
on  Breed's  hill  on  the  serenteenth  of  June,  1775,  and  to  General  Mercer.  The 
committee  reported  on  the  eighth  of  April,  recommending  the  erection  of  a  monu- 
ment in  Boston^  with  suitable  inscriptions,  in  honor  of  Warren,  and  another  at 
Ftedericksbuig,  in  Virginia,  in  honor  of  Mercer,  with  the  following  inscription : — 

*8ACB£D  TO  THE  MEMOBT  OF 

HUGH  MERCER, 

BBIOADIER-GBNBRAL  IK  THE  ABICT  OF 

THE  UNIIED  STATES. 

HE  DIED  ON  THE  lani  OF  JANUABT,  177T,  OP  THE 

WOUNDS  HE  BECEITED  ON  THE  8d  OF  THE  SAME  MONTH, 

NEAB  PRINCETON,  IN  NEW  JEBSEY, 

BBAYBLT  DEFENDING  THE 

LIBERTIES  OF  AMERICA. 

THE  CONGRESS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

IN  TE8TIM0NT  OF  HIS  VIRTUES,  AND  THEIR  GRATITUDE, 

HAVE  CAUSED  THIS  MONUMENT  TO  BE  ERECTED." 

They  also  resolyed,  that  *'  the  eldest  son  of  General  Warren,  and  the  youngest  son 
of  General  Mercer,  be  educated,  from  this  time,  at  the  expense  of  the  United  States." 
Neither  monument  was  oyer  erected,  but  the  children  were  educated  at  the  expense 
of  the  gOTomment.  General  Mercer's  son  (the  late  Colonel  Hugh  Mercer,  of 
Fredericksburg,  Viigima),  was  then  about  six  months  old,  haying  been  bom  in 
July,  1776.  He  was  educated  at  WiUiamand  Mary  college,  in  Viiginia,  when  Bishop 
Madison  was  its  president  He  was  for  many  years  colonel  of  the  militia  of  his 
native  county,  and  an  actiye  magistrate.  For  flye  consecutive  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Virginia  legtslatnre,  and  for  many  jrears  was  president  of  the  Branch 
Bank  of  Virginia,  at  Fredericksbuig.  He  died  at  his  seat,  called  The  Sentry-Box, 
in  1 855,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  A  portrait  of  this  "  Child  of  the  Republic ' 
may  be  found  in  Lossing's  Field-Book  of  the  Revolution, 


BATTLE  OM  PBIKOKFON  AKD  DSilTH  OF  BIERCER.         183 

Lewis  should  remaiii  wiih  him  to  minister  to  his  wants. 
To  both  requests  his  lordship  yielded  a  willing  assent^ 
and  ordered  his  staffsurgeon  to  attend  upon  General 
Mercer.  Upon  an  examination  of  the  wounds,  the  British 
surgeon  remarked,  that  although  they  were  many  and 
severe,  he  was  disposed  to  believe  that  they  would  not 
prove  daogeroua  Mercer,  bred  to  the  profession  of  an 
army-surgeon  in  Europe,*  said  to  young  Lewis,  "Kaise 
up  my  right  arm,  George,  and  this  gentleman  wiU  there 
discover  the  smallest  of  my  woimds,  but  which  will  prove 
the  most  fatal.  Yes  sir,  that  is  a  fellow  that  will  very 
soon  do  my  business."  He  languished  till  the  twelfth, 
and  expired  in  the  arms  of  Lewis,  admired  and  lamented 
by  the  whole  army.  During  the  period  that  he  lay  on 
the  couch  of  suffering,  he  exonerated  his  enemies  from 
the  foul  accusation  which  they  bore,  not  only  in  1777 
but  for  half  a  century  since,  viz.,  of  their  having  bayonetr 
ed  a  general  officer  after  he  had  surrendered  his  sword, 
and  become  a  prisoner-of-war — declaring  that  he  only 
relinquished  his  sword  when  his  arm  had  become  power- 
less to  wield  itf    He  paid  the  homage  of  his  whole  heart 

*  He  was  a  nadre  of  Scotland,  and  was  an  assisUnt-BiirgeoB  in  the  1>attle  of  Cal- 
lodeo,  which  decided  the  fate  of  Charles  Edward,  the  Toung  Scotch  Pretender  to 
the  throne  of  England,  as  the  lineal  representatiTe  of  the  Stuart  family,  who  were 
«q>«Ued  in  the  person  of  James  U.,  in  1688.  Soon  after  that  hattle  Meroer  came  to 
America,  took  up  his  residence  at  Erederickshoiig^,  and  was  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  medicine  and  the  business  of  an  apothecary  there,  when  the  War  for  Independence 
hroke  out  He  espoused  the  cause,  left  his  profession,  took  the  command  of  three 
regiments  of  minute-men  in  1775,  and,  in  1776,  oiganiied  and  drilled  a  laige  body 
of  Virginia  militia.  Congress  gave  him  the  commission  of  a  brigadier  on  the  fifth 
of  June,  1775,  and  appointed  him  to  the  command  of  the  flying  camp  of  ten  thou- 
sand men,  authorized  to  be  raised  in  the  middle  states. 

t  "Lewis,"  says  Mr.  Custis,  elsewhere,  "mentioned  to  General  Mercer  the  ex- 
treme indignation  which  prevailed  in  the  American  anny,  together  with  threats  of 
retaliation  at  the  inhuman  treatment  it  was  supposed  the  general  had  received  horn. 
the  enemy,  via.,  that  he  had  been  bayoneted  after  having  surrendered  and  asked  for 


184  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

to  the  person  and  character  of  the  commander-in-chief, 
rejoiced  with  true  Soldierly  pride  in  the  trimnphs  of 
Trenton  and  Princeton,  in  both  of  which  he  had  borne  a 
conspicuous  part,  and  offered  up  his  fervent  prayers  for 
the  final  success  of  the  cause  of  American  Independence. 

Thus  lived  and  died  Hugh  Mercer,  a  name  that  will 
for  ever  be  associated  with  momentous  events  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  When  a  grateful 
posterity  shall  bid  the  trophied  memorial  rise  to  the 
martyrs  who  sealed  with  their  blood  the  charter  of  an 
empire's  liberties,  there  will  not  be  wanting  a  monument 
to  him  whom  Washington  mourned  as  ^  the  worthy  and 
brave  General  Mercer." 

General  Mercer  lies  buried,  in  Philadelphia^  where  a 
plain  slab,  with  the  initials  H.  M.,  denotes  the  last  earthly 
dwelling  of  the  patriot  brave, 

'*  Who  sunk  to  rest, 
With  his  country's  wishes  blest*'* 

qnarter :  when  the  magnanimoiis  Mercer  obsenred,  "  The  tale  which  yoa  have  heard, 
Geotge,  is  untrue.  My  death  is  owing  to  myself.  I  was  on  foot,  endeavoring  to 
rally  my  men,  who  had  given  way  before  the  superior  discipline  of  the  enemy,  when 
I  was  brought  to  the  ground  by  a  blow  from  a  musket.  At  the  same  moment  the 
enemy  discovered  my  rank,  exulted  in  their  having  taken  the  rebel  general,  as  they 
termed  me,  and  bid  me  ask  for  quarters.  I  felt  that  I  deserved  not  so  opprobrious 
an  epithet,  and  determined  to  die,  as  I  had  lived,  an  honored  soldier  in  a  just  and 
righteous  cause;  and  without  begging  my  life  or  making  reply,  I  lunged  with  my 
sword  at  the  nearest  man.    They  then  bayoneted  and  left  me." 

*  This  was  written  in  October,  1839.  A  plain  marble  slab  was  afterward  placed 
at  the  head  of  his  graye,  with  the  simple  inscription :  "  In  Memory  of  General  Hugh 
MerceTf  %dho  fell  at  Princeton,  Jan.  3d,  1777."  There  his  remains  lay  until  1840, 
when  his  countrymen,  of  the  St.  Andrew's,  and  the  Thistle  societies,  removed  them 
to  Laurel  Hill  cemetery,  and  erected  a  fine  white  marble  monument  over  them,  near 
the  chapel.  The  monument  bears  the  following  inscriptions,  which  give  the  most 
important  incidents  of  his  public  life.  East  side,  or  principal  front :  "  Dedicated  to 
the  Memory  of  Gbkbral  Hugh  Mebceb,  who  fell  for  the  Sacred  Cause  of  Human 
Liberty,  and  American  Independence,  in  the  Battle  of  Princeton.  He  poured  out 
his  blood  for  a  Generous  Principle."     West  side:  " General  Merobb,  a  Physician 


BATTLE  OF  FBINOS!FON  AND  DEATH  OF  MERGER.        185 

We  shall  give  a  single  anecdote  of  the  subject  of  the 
foregoing  memoir^  to  show  the  pure  and  high-souled  prin- 
ciples that  actuated  the  patriots  and  soldiers  of  the  days 
of  our  country's  trial 

Virginia  at  first  organized  two  regiments  for  the  com- 
mon cause.  When  it  was  determined  to  raise  a  third, 
there  were  numerous  applications  for  commissions ;  and 
these  being  mostly  from  men  of  fortune  and  family  inter- 
est^ there  was  scarcely  an  application  for  a  rank  less  than 
a  field  officer.  During  the  sitting  of  the  house  of  bur- 
gesses upon  this  important  motion,  a  plain  but  soldierly- 
looking  individual  handed  up  to  the  speaker's  chair  a 
scrap  of  paper,  on  which  was  written,  ^Hugh  Mercer 
will  serve  his  adopted  country  and  the  cause  of  liberty 
in  my  rank  or  stoHan  to  which  he  may  be  appointed." 
This,  fix)m  a  veteran  soldier,  bred  in  European  camps, 

of  Erederickslmiigf,  in  VugtnU,  was  distiDgnished  for  his  skill  and  learning,  his 
(gentleness  and  decision,  his  refinement  and  hamanity,  his  elevated  honor,  and  his 
devotion  to  the  great  cause  of  Ciyil  and  Religions  Liberty."  North  side :  "  Gbkeral 
Merobb,  a  native  of  Scotland,  was  an  assistant^nrgeon  in  the  Battle  of  Cnlloden, 
and  the  companion  of  Washiitoton  in  the  Indian  Wars  of  1755  and  1756.  He  re- 
ceived a  Medal  from  the  Ck>rporation  of  Philadelphia,  for  his  courage  and  conduct 
m  the  Expedition  against  the  Indian  Settlement  of  Eittanning."  South  side :  "  The 
St.  Andrew's  Soctety  of  Philadelphia  offer  this  humble  tribute  to  the  memory  of  an 
iUnstrions  Bbothbb.  When  a  grateful  posterity  shall  bid  the  trophied  memorial  rise 
to  the  martyrs  who  sealed  with  their  blood  the  charter  of  an  Empire's  liberties,  there 
shall  not  be  wanted  a  monument  to  him  whom  WASHivoTOir  mourned  as  the  worthy 
and  brave  Hxrobb."    General  Mercer  was  about  fifty-six  years  of  age  when  Im  wm 


The  funeral  ceremonies  on  the  occasion  of  the  re4nterment  of  the  remains  of  Gen- 
eral Mercer,  were  very  imposing.  They  took  place  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  Novem- 
ber, 1840.  The  pall  was  borne  by  Ck>mmodores  Bead,  Biddle,  and  Stewart,  and 
Colonel  Miller.  The  first  troop  of  city  cavalry,  whose  predec^sors  took  part  in  the 
battle  in  which  Mercer  was  mortally  wounded,  composed  the  guard  of  honor  (there 
being  at  that  time,  not  a  single  survivor  of  the  original  corps) ;  and  William  B. 
Reed,  Esq.,  grandson  of  General  Joseph  Reed,  of  the  Revolution,  pronounced  an 
eloquent  oration. 


186  BECOLLECnONS  09  WABHUfGTON. 

the  associate  of  Washington  in  the  war  of  1765,*  and 
known  to  stand  high  in  his  confidence  and  esteem,  was 
all-sufficient  for  a  body  of  patriots  and  statesmen  such  as 
composed  the  Virginia  house  of  burgesses  in  the  days 
of  the  Revolution.  The  appointment  of  Merger  to  the 
command  of  the  third  Virginia  i^giment  was  carried 
instanter. 

It  was  while  the  commander-in-chief  reined  up  his 
horse,  upon  approaching  the  spot  in  a  ploughed  field 
where  lay  the  gallant  Colonel  Hasletf  mortally  wounded, 
that  he  perceived  some  British  soldiers  supporting  an 
officer,  and  upon  inquiring  his  name  and  rank,  was 
answered,  Captain  Leslie.  Doctor  Benjamin  Rush,:]:  who 
formed  a  part  of  the  general's  suite,  earnestly  asked,  ^  A 
son  of  the  Earl  of  Levin  ?"  to  which  the  soldiers  replied 
in  the  affirmative.  The  doctor  then  addressed  the 
general-in-chief :  "  I  beg  your  excellency  to  permit  this 
wounded  officer  to  be  placed  under  my  especial  care, 
that  I  may  return,  in  however  small  a  degree,  a  part  of 

*  Mercer  wu  with  Washington  on  the  Viiginia  frontier  in  the  French  and  Indian 
war. 

t.  Colonel  Haslet  was  in  command  of  Delaware  troops,  and  had  done  nohle  ser- 
▼ice  on  Long  Island  and  at  White  Plains.  In  the  engagement,  at  the  latter  place, 
he  was  the  first  to  take  post  on  Chatterton's  hill,  where  the  principal  battle  was 
fought,  with  his  own  and  some  liaiyland  troops  and  militia,  in  all  about  sixteen 
hundred  men. 

%  Benjamin  Bnsh  was  bom  near  Philadelphia,  on  the  fifth  of  January,  1745.  He 
graduated  at  Ptineeton  college,  in  1760,  commenced  the  study  of  medidno  the  next 
yoar,  and  in  1766  went  to  Edinbuigh,  where,  two  years  afterward,  ho  received  the 
degree  of  M.D.  He  returned  to  Philadelphia  in  1769,  where  he  commenced  the 
practice  of  medicine,  and  was  soon  afterward  elected  professor  of  chemistry  in  the 
College  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  continental  Congress 
in  1776,  and  in  April,  1777,  he  was  appointed  suigeon-genoral  of  the  military  hos* 
pitals  of  the  middle  department.  From  that  period  until  his  death  he  took  an  activ* 
part  in  public  affiurs— politics,  science,  and  general  literature.  He  stands  in  tha 
bighMt  rank  of  American  physicians  and  philosophers.  Doctor  Rush  died  on  the 
eighteenth  of  April,  1813,  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age. 


BATTLE  OF  nXMrCSTON  AND   DEATH  OF  MEBCER.         187 

of  the  obligations  I  owe  to  his  worthy  father  for  the 
many  kindnesses  received  at  his  hands  while  I  was  a 
student  in  Edinburgh."  The  request  was  immediately 
granted ;  but^  alas !  poor  Leslie  was  soon  ^  past  all  sur- 
gery." He  died  the  same  evening,  after  receiving  every 
possible  kindness  and  attention,  and  was  buried  the  next 
day  at  Pluckemin  with  the  honors  of  war ;  his  companions, 
as  they  lowered  his  remains  to  the  soldier's  last  rest, 
shedding  tears  over  the  grave  of  a  much-loved  com- 
mander. 

The  battle  of  Princeton,  for  the  time  it  lasted  and  the 
numbers  engaged,  was  the  most  fatal  to  our  officers  of 
any  action  during  the  whole  of  the  Revolutionary  war — 
the  Americans  losing  one  general,  two  colonels,  one 
major,  and  three  captains,  kUled* — ^while  the  martial 
prowess  of  our  enemy  shone  not  with  more  brilliant 
lustre,  in  any  one  of  their  combats  during  their  long 
career,  of  arms  than  did  the  courage  and  discipline  of  the 
17th  British  regiment  on  the  third  of  January,  1777.t 
Indeed,  Washington  himself  during  the  height  of  the 
conflict,  pointed  out  this  gallant  corps  to  his  officers, 
exclaiming,  ^  See  how  those  noble  fellows  fight !  Ah ! 
gentlemen,  when  shall  we  be  able  to  keep  an  army  long 
enough  together  to  display  a  discipline  equal  to  oiu: 
enemies."J 

*  These  were  General  Mercer,  Colonels  Haslet  and  Potter,  Major  Morris,  and 
Captains  Shippcn,  Fleming,  and  Neal. 

t  This  was  Colonel  Mawhood's  regiment,  and  the  one  that  drore  the  Americans 
firom  the  hedge  fence,  at  the  point  of  the  bajonet. 

X  Daring  the  whole  of  the  year  1776,  Washington  freqnentlj  pressed  upon  the 
attention  of  Congress,  the  necessity  for  establishing  a  system  of  long  enlistments  In 
the  army,  for  every  day  the  evils  of  short  enlistments  were  ftlt.  Up  to  the  close  of 
1776,  the  chief  dependence  of  the  army  was  upon  the  militia.  *'  Who,"  Washing- 
ton said  in  a  letter  to  the  president  of  Congress,  toward  the  close  of  December, 


188  BECOUECnONB  OF  WASHINQTON. 

The  regular  troops  that  constituted  the  grand  army  at 
the  close  of  the  campaign  of  76  were  the  ffagments  of 
many  regunents,  worn  down  by  constant  and  toilsome 
marches,  and  suffering  of  every  sort,  in  the  depth  of 

"  come  in,  yoa  can  not  tell  how ;  go,  yon  can  not  tell  when ;  and  act,  yon  can  not 
tell  where ;  consume  yonr  proyUions,  exhanst  yonr  stores,  and  leave  yon  at  a  critical 
moment"  He  then  ntged  the  establishment  of  a  standing  army,  sofficient  for  the 
exigencies  of  the  case,  and  said :  **  In  my  judgment  this  is  not  a  time  to  stand  upon 
expense ;  our  funds  are  not  the  only  object  of  consideration."  He  then  informed 
the  Congress  that  he  had  taken  the  responsibility  of  oflEering  to  regiment  recruits, 
and  to  place  them  on  the  continental  establishment  as  to  rank  and  pay,  and  added : 
"  It  may  be  thought  that  I  am  going  a  good  deal  out  of  the  line  of  my  duty  to  adopt 
these  measures,  or  to  adrise  thus  freely.  A  character  to  lose,  an  estate  to  forfeit, 
the  inestimable  blessings  of  liberty  at  stake,  and  a  life  devoted,  must  be  my  excuse." 

The  Congress  had  already  resolved  to  establish  a  grand  army  of  eighty-eight  batr 
talions  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men  each,  to  be  raised  in  the  several  states ;  and 
their  confidence  in  Washington  was  manifested  by  their  clothing  him  with  the  abso- 
lute powers  of  a  military  dictator,  for  six  months.  And  a  week  after  the  foregoing 
letter  to  the  Congress  was  written,  they  authorized  the  raising  of  sixteen  additional 
battalions,  and  at  the  same  time  thus  defined  by  resolution,  the  extraordinary  powers 
which  they  had  given  to  the  commander-in-chief:— 

''  This  Congress,  having  maturely  considered  the  present  crisis,  and  having  per- 
fect reliance  on  the  wisdom,  vigor,  and  uprightness  of  General  Washington,  do 
hereby— 

*'  Besolve,  That  General  Washington  shall  be,  and  he  is  hereby,  vested  with  full, 
ample,  and  complete  powers  to  raise  and  collect  together,  in  the  most  speedy  and 
effectual  manner,  from  any  or  all  of  these  United  States,  sixteen  battalions  of  infan- 
try, in  addition  to  those  already  voted  by  Congress ;  to  appoint  officers  for  the  said 
battalions  of  infantry ;  to  raise,  officer,  and  equip  three  thousand  light-horse,  three 
regiments  of  artillery,  and  a  corps  of  engineers,  and  to  establish  their  pay;  to  apply 
to  any  of  the  states  for  such  ud  of  the  militia  as  he  shall  judge  necessary ;  to  form 
such  magazines,  and  in  such  places,  as  he  shall  think  proper;  to  displace  and 
appoint  all  officers  under  the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  and  to  fill  up  all  vacancies 
in  every  other  department  in  the  American  army;  to  take,  wherever  he  may  be, 
whatever  he  may  want  for  the  use  of  the  army,  if  the  inhabitants  will  not  sell  it, 
allowing  a  reasonable  price  for  the  same ;  to  arrest  and  confine  persons  who  refuse 
to  take  the  continental  currency,  or  are  otherwise  disaffected  to  the  American  cause, 
and  return  to  the  states  of  which  they  are  citizens  their  names,  and  the  nature  of 
their  offences,  together  with  the  witnesses  to  prove  them. 

"  That  the  foregoing  powers  be  vested  in  General  Washington  for  and  during  the 
term  of  six  months  from  the  date  hereof,  unless  sooner  determined  by  Congress."— 
Journals  of  Congreu,  December  27, 1776. 


BATTLE  OP  PRINCETON  AND  DEATH  OP  MERCEIL         189 

winter.  The  fine  regiment  of  Smallwood,  composed  of 
the  flower  of  the  Maryland  youth,  and  which  in  the  June 
preceding,  marched  into  Philadelphia  eleven  hundred 
strong,  was,  on  the  third  of  January,  reduced  to  scarcely 
sixty  men,  and  commanded  by  a  captain.*  In  fact,  the 
bulk  of  what  was  then  called  the  grand  army  consisted 
of  the  Pennsylvania  militia  and  volunteers — citizen-sol- 
diers who  had  left  their  comfortable  homes  at  the  call  of 
their  country,  and  were  enduring  the  ngoxQ  of  a  winter 
campaign.  On  the  morning  of  the  battle  of  Princeton, 
they  had  been  eighteen  hours  under  arms,  and  harassed 
by  a  long  night's  march.  Was  it  then  to  be  wondered 
at  that  they  should  have  given  way  before  the  veteran 
bayonets  of  their  fresh  and  well-appointed  foe  ? 

The  heroic  devotion  of  Washington  was  not  wanting 
in  the  exigencies  of  this  memorable  day.  He  was  aware 
that  his  hour  was  come  to  redeem  the  pledge  he  had  laid 
on  the  altar  of  his  country  when  first  he  took  up  arms 
in  her  cause:  to  win  her  liberties  or  perish  in  the 
attempt  Defeat  at  Princeton  would  have  amounted  to 
the  annihilation  of  America's  last  hope ;  for,  independent 
of  the  enemy's  forces  in  front,  Comwallis,  with  the  flower 
of  the  British  army,  eight  thousand  strong,  was  already 
panting  close  on  the  rear.f    It  was,  indeed,  the  very 

*  Colonel  Smallwood's  battaUon  was  one  of  the  filiest  in  the  army,  in  dress, 
equipment,  and  discipline.  Their  scarlet-and-bnff  nniforms,  and  well-bnmished 
arms,  contrasted  strongly  with  those  of  the  New  England  troops,  and  were  "  dis- 
tinguished at  this  time,"  says  Graydon,  "  by  the  most  fashionable-cut  coat,  the  most 
macar&ni  cocked  hat,  and  hottest  blood,  in  the  Union."  In  the  battle  on  Long 
Island,  at  the  close  of  the  previous  August,  this  fine  corps  had  been  dreadfully  deci- 
mated. Full  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  them  perished  in  the  last  deadly  struggle 
between  Stirling  and  Comwallis,  near  the  shores  of  Qowanns  creek. 

t  When  Comwallis  heard  the  firing  at  Princeton,  on  the  morning  of  the  third  of 
January,  he  hastened  in  that  direction  with  his  whole  force,  for  he  considered  his 
valuable  stores  at  Brunswick  in  danger.    He  reached  Princeton  just  as  the  Ameri- 


190  BSCOILBCXIOHB  OF  WASHINGTON. 

criBia  of  the  struggle.  In  the  huiried  and  imposmg 
events  of  little  more  than  one  short  week,  liberty  endured 
her  greatest  agony.  What,  l^en,  is  due  to  the  fame 
and  memories  of  that  sacred  band  who^  with  the  master 
of  liberty  at  their  head^  breasted  the  storm  at  this  fear- 
ful crisis  of  their  country's  destiny  ?* 

The  heroism  of  Washington  on  the  field  of  Princeton 
is  matter  of  history.  We  have  often  enjoyed  a  touching 
reminiscence  of  that  ever-memorable  event  from  the  late 
Colonel  Fitzgerald,  who  was  aid  to  the  chief,  and  who 
never  related  the  story  of  his  general's  danger  and  almost 
miraculous  preservation^  without  adding  to  his  tale  the 
homage  of  a  tear. 

The  aid-de-camp  had  been  ordered  to  bring  up  the 
troops  from  the  rear  of  the  column,  when  the  band  under 
General  Mercer  became  engaged.    Upon  returning  to 


etas  had  lecued  their  Ticttny,  who,  thoagh  wearied  and  won  with  fatigue  mtd 
want  of  sleep,  were  in  parsnit  of  the  fogitive  British  soldiers  who  had  fled  finom 
Princeton  toward  Brunswick.  Comwallis  porsued  Washington  as  far  as  the  Mill- 
stone river,  when  he  g&Te  np  the  chase. 

*  *'Achieveinen(s  so  sttrring,**  says  the  eloquent  Charles  Botta»  "gained  Ibr 
the  American  commander  a  very  great  reputation,  and  were  regarded  with  wonder 
by  all  nations,  as  well  as  by  the  Americans.  The  prudence,  constancy,  and  noble 
intr^idity  of  Washington,  were  admued  and  applauded  by  elL  By  unanimoos 
consent,  he  was  declared  to  be  the  savior  of  his  country ;  all  proclaimed  him  eqnal 
to  the  most  renowned  commanders  of  antiquity,  and  especially  distinguished  him  by  the 
name  of  the  Ambbigas  Babius.  His  name  was  in  the  mouths  of  all;  he  was 
celebrated  by  the  pens  of  the  most  distinguished  writers.  The  most  illustrious  per^ 
sonages  of  Europe  lavished  upon  him  their  praises  and  their  congratulations.  The 
American  general,  therefore,  wanted  neither  a  cause  full  of  grandeur  to  defend,  nor 
occasion  for  the  acquisition  of  glory,  nor  genius  to  avail  himself  of  it,  nor  the  renown 
duo  to  his  triumphs,  nor  an  entire  generation  of  men  perfectly  well  disposed  to  ren- 
der him  homage." 

It  is  said  Frederick  the  Great  of  Pmssia  declared,  that  the  achievements  of  Wask- 
iqgton  and  his  little  band  of  compatriots,  between  the  twenty-fifth  of  Beoember, 
1776,  and  the  fourth  of  January,  1777,  a  space  of  ten  days,  wero  the  most  brilliaDl 
of  any  in  the  annals  of  military  achievements. 


BATTLE  OF  FBOTCETON  AND   DEATH  OF  MERCER.         191 

tihe  spot  where  he  had  left  the  cozmnander-iix-chief^  he 
was  no  longer  there,  and,  upon  looking  around,  the  aid 
diBOovered  him  endeavoring  to  rally  the  line  which  had 
been  thrown  into  disorder  by  a  rapid  on-set  of  the  foe  * 
Washington,  after  several  ineffectual  efibrts  to  restore 
the  fortimes  of  the  fight^  is  seen  to  rein  up  his  horse, 
with  his  head  to  the  enemy,  and  in  that  position  to  be- 
come immovable.  It  was  a  last  appeal  to  his  soldiers, 
and  seemed  to  say.  Will  you  give  up  your  general  to  the 
foe  ?  Such  an  appeal  was  not  made  in  vain.  The  dis- 
comfitted  Americans  rally  on  the  instant,  and  form  into 
fine ;  the  enemy  halt^  and  dress  their  line ;  ihe  American 
chief  is  between  the  adverse  posts,  as  though  he  had 
been  placed  there,  a  target  for  both.  The  arms  of  both 
lines  are  levelled  Can  escape  from  death  be  possible  ? 
Fitzgerald,  horror-struck  at  the  danger  of  his  beloved 
conmiander,  dropped  the  reins  upon  his  horse's  neck,  and 
drew  his  hat  over  his  face,  that  he  might  not  see  him 
die.  A  roar  of  musketry  succeeds,  and  then  a  shout  It 
is  the  shout  of  victory.  The  aid-de-camp  ventures  to 
raise  his  eyes,  and  0,  glorious  sight!  the  enemy  are 
broken  and  flying,  while  dimly  amidst  the  glimpses  of 
the  smoke  is  seen  the  chief,  ^  alive,  unharmed,  and  with- 


*  Maidiood  and  his  regiment  pressed  forwaid  in  Yigorons  pursoit  of  the  scattered 
Americans,  and  it  was  while  endeayoring  to  rally  them  that  Meroer  fell.  The  Brit- 
ish were  soon  checked  bj  Washingtoni  who  was  adTanctog  oyer  a  hill  at  the  head 
of  a  eolmnn  of  regnlars  and  Pennsylvania  militia.  Ferceiying  at  a  glance  the  des- 
perate state  of  affairs,  Washington  ordered  Captain  Moolder  to  form  hii  field-battery 
for  immediate  action,  while  the  chief,  in  person,  should  attempt  to  rally  the  Ameri- 
cans. His  stately  form  was  seen  by  Mawhood,  as  ho  rode  backward  and  forward, 
and  by  word  and  action  called  npon  the  panic-stricken  troops  to  turn  upon  the  foe. 
He  ordered  a  halt,  in  battle  line,  and  drew  up  his  artillery  with  the  intention  of 
chaiging  npon  Moulder  to  capture  his  battery.  This  was  the  movement  alluded  to 
faidMtext 


192  KBGOILECnONB  OF  WASHINQTON. 

out  a  wound/'  waving  his  hat^  and  cheering  his  comrades 
to  the  pursuit 

Colonel  Fitzgerald^  celebrated  as  one  of  the  finest 
horsemen  in  the  American  army,  now  dashed  his  rowels 
in  his  charger^s  flanks,  and,  heedless  of  the  dead  and 
dying  in  his  way,  flew  to  Ihe  side  of  his  chief,  exclaim- 
ing, *^ Thank  Grod!  your  excellency  is  safe!"  The 
favorite  aid,  a  gallant  and  warm-hearted  son  of  Erin,  a 
man  of  thews  and  sinews,  and  ^  albeit  unused  to  the 
melting  mood,"  now  gave  loose  rein  to  his  feelings,  and 
wept  like  a  child,  for  joy. 

Washington,  ever  calm  amid  scenes  of  the  greatest 
excitement,  afiectionately  grasped  the  hand  of  his  aid 
and  friend,  and  then  ordered — "  Away,  my  dear  colonel, 
and  bring  up  the  troops — ^the  day  is  our  own  !"* 

*  Being  severtlj  galled  bj  the  grape^hot  of  the  Americans,  and  perceiring 
mtchoocVs  and  another  continental  regiment  advancing  from  behind  the  repnbllcan 
colomn,  Hawhood  wheeled  and  retreated  toward  the  high  groand  in  the  reari  leaTing 
hiB  artillery  npon  the  field.  They  fled  to  the  Trenton  road  in  confosion,  crossed 
the  bridge  over  Stony  Brook,  and  hastened  to  join  Comwallis,  then  on  his  march 
from  Trenton. 


BATCUB  OF  GKBBiAJNTOlVN.  193 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BATTLE  OP   GERMANTOWN  * 

Wauovotok  mrouxATBD  BT  DxHAT— PourxoH  or  THs  British  Askt— Maboh  or  tbb 
Ambbxgahb  UPON  Obbmamtowk— Ahbcdotb  or  Tttlabxi—Ax  Ihtoxioated  Gbbbbal 
OirxoBB— SuBnuBB  or  thb  Ebbmt— Bbtbbat  ibto  CiiBw*tt  Houbb— AnxxFr  to  Dn- 

LOIMB  TEB  BBXTIBH  — A  COXTXOIL  OB  WaB— IlTTBICBB  FOO  — AlABX  AHV  PAIRO  AMOBO  TUB 
A]fBBZOABB->'WA«HXB«TOB   tX  D AKGBB  —  BbBULT  Or  THB   BiiTTUI  —  ObBBBAL    NaBH  MOB- 

TALLT  Woubbbd— HzsPbbbbhcb  OB  MiKD—HiB  Dbath—Thb  Uhbiscipubbd  Ambbioabs 

—  Ck>B«BBBB   COHPLDCBRTABT  — How   HBAB  THB  AjCBBIOAHB  WBBB  YXOTOBXOIJS  —  BbMABHS 

OB  THB  Fbbbob  Hibibtbb  OX  THB  BATTXJi  or  Gbb]|abtown — Maboh  or  THB  Abxt  to 

YaLLBT  FoBOB— WaBHXHOTOB^  COXPAflSZOB. 

UimisxATED  by  his  defeat  at  the  battle  of  the  Brandy- 
wme,  Washington  hovered  on  the  march  of  his  enemy ; 
not  with  the  hope  of  saving  Philadelphia,  but  with  the 
determination  to  strike  yet  another  blow  before  the  con- 
clusion of  the  campaign  of  1777.  Charmed  with  the 
courage  displayed  by  his  undisciplined  soldiers,  when 
opposed  to  a  superior  army  of  veterans,  in  the  combat  at 
Chad's  ford,  the  American  general  anxiously  watched  for 
an  opportunity  of  again  measuring  his  sword  with  that 
of  his  skilful  and  far  better  appointed  adversary,  though 
vast  were  the  advantages  in  favor  of  the  latter.f 

*  WriUeo,  ftnd  pablished  in  the  National  InUUigencer,  on  the  twenty-second 
Pebnury,  1841. 

t  The  retreat  of  the  Americans  after  the  disastrous  contests  near  the  Brandywinc 
oeek,  in  Chester  connty,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  eleventh  of  September,  1777,  was 
predpittte,  and  at  first  confosed.  Lafayette,  who  had  been  severely  wonnded,  has 
left  a  vivid  picture  of  the  scene.  Chester  road,  he  said,  was  crowded  with  the  flying 
fngitives,  cannon,  baggage-carts,  and  everything  else  pertaining  to  an  army,  even 
before  the  combats  had  entirely  ceased ;  and  the  confusion  of  the  scene  was  enhanced 
by  the  roar  of  cannon  and  the  rattle  of  musketry  in  the  rear.    On  the  banks  of  a 

13 


194  RECOLLEOnONS   OF  WAflHOTOTON. 

Sir  William  Howe,*  flushed  with  his  victory  over  the 
American  grand  army,  and  the  occupation  of  the  then 
capital  of  the  American  Union,  and  presuming  that  his 
foe  was  sufficiently  subdued  to  give  him  no  further 
molestation  for  the  remainder  of  the  campaign,  quartered 
a  large  portion  of  his  troops  in  the  village  of  German- 
town,  about  seven  miles  from  the  city  of  Philadelphia, 
while  he  despatched  considerable  detachments  toward 
the  positions  still  held  by  the  American  forces  on  the 
Delaware,f 

Washington  promptly  embraced  the  opportunity  thus 
offered  of  striking  at  his  powerful  adversary  with  fair 
hopes  of  success.  Gathering  together  all  the  troops 
within  his  reach,  and  having  received  some  reinforce- 

straam,  near  Chester,  twelve  miles  from  the  battlefield,  the  flight  of  the  fugitives 
was  checked  bj  their  own  oflBcerB,  and  Washington  coming  np  toward  midnight, 
restored  order.  The  next  morning  they  continued  their  retreat  toward  Chester ; 
while  Howe,  as  nsual,  neglecting  to  follow  np  a  capital  advantage,  remained  two  or 
three  days  near  the  scene  of  the  conflict. 

Washington  and  his  broken  army  halted  at  Germantown,  rested  there  one  day, 
and  then  recrossed  the  SchnylkiU,  to  attack  the  advancing  foe.  Both  parties  were 
prepared  for  action,  when  a  heavy  rain  so  interferred,  that  it  was  indefinitely  post- 
poned. Then  commenced  a  series  of  marches  and  conntei^marches.  Sir  William 
Howe  endeavoring  to  take  possession  of  Philadelphia,  and  Washington  doing  all  in 
his  power  to  keep  him  on  the  lower  side  of  the  SchnylkiU.  Howe  sncceeded,  and 
Washington  took  post  within  about  fourteen  miles  of  Germantown,  from  which  point 
he  advanced  to  the  engagement  delineated  in  the  text. 

*  General  William  Howe  had  been  commander-in-chief  of  the  British  forces  in 
America  since  the  retirement  of  General  Gage,  in  the  antnmn  of  1775.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1776,  a  British  fleet,  commanded  by  his  brother.  Admiral  Lord  Howe,  came 
upon  the  American  coast,  and  at  this  time  was  coH>perating  with  the  land  forces. 
After  the  battle  on  Long  Island,  at  the  close  of  August,  1776,  in  which  the  British 
were  victorious,  General  Howe  was  knighted,  and  created  a  baronet.  From  that 
time  he  was  called  Sit  William  Howe. 

t  These  positions  were  Billingsport,  Fort  Mercer,  at  Bed  Bank,  on  the  Jersey 
shore,  and  Fort  Mifflin,  upon  Mud  island,  near  the  Pennsylvania  shore,  below 
Philadelphia.  The  channel  of  the  river  was  obstmctad  by  chevaux  dejna$^  con- 
structed by  the  Americans  upon  a  plan  said  to  have  been  suggested  by  Doctor 
Franklin. 


BATTLE  OF  GEKIIAim)WN.  195 

ments^  although  they  consisted  mostly  of  new  levies, 
the  American  anny  broke  up  its  encampment,  about 
fifteen  miles  from  Germantown,  on  the  night  of  the  third 
of  October,  and  advanced  upon  the  enemy  in  three 
colmnns,  in  order  of  battle. 

During  the  night  march,  several  incidents  occurred 
that  might  be  deemed  ominous  of  the  fortunes  of  the 
coming  day.  The  celebrated  Count  Pulaski,  who  was 
charged  with  the  service  of  watching  the  enemy  and 
gaining  intelligence,  was  said  to  have  been  found  asleep 
in  a  farm-house.  But  although  the  gallant  Pole  might 
have  been  overtaken  by  slumber,  from  the  great  fatigue 
growing  out  of  the  duties  of  the  advanced  guard,  yet  no 
soldier  was  ^more  wide  awake  in  the  moment  of  combat 
than  the  intrepid  and  chivalric  Coimt  Pulaski.^ 

*  CovLtkt  Casimir  Palaski  was  a  native  of  Lithoania,  ia  Poland.  He  was  edu- 
cated for  the  law,  bat  stirring  military  events  had  their  inflaenoe  apon  his  mind,  and 
he  entered  the  army.  With  his  father,  the  old  Count  Palaski,  he  was  engaged  in 
the  rebellion  against  Stanislaos,  king  of  Poland,  in  1769.  The  old  count  was  taken 
prisoner,  and  pat  to  death.  In  1770,  the  young  Count  Casimir  was  elected  com- 
mande^in-€hief  of  the  insurgents,  but  was  not  able  to  collect  a  competent  foroe  to 
act  efficiently,  for  a  pestilence  had  swept  off  250,000  Poles  the  previous  year.  In 
1771,  himself  and  thirty-nine  others  entered  Warsaw,  disguised  as  peasants,  for  the 
porpoie  of  seizing  the  king.  The  object  was  to  place  him  at  the  head  of  the  army, 
force  him  to  act  in  that  position,  and  call  around  him  the  Poles  to  beat  back  the 
Russian  forces  which  Catharine  had  sent  against  them.  They  succeeded  in  taking 
him  from  his  carriage  in  the  streets,  and  carrying  him  out  of  the  city ;  but  were 
obliged  to  leave  him,  not  far  from  the  walls,  to  effect  their  own  escape.  Pulaski's 
little  army  was  soon  afterward  defeated,  and  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Turks, 
who  were  fighting  the  Russians.  His  estates  were  confiscated,  and  himself  outlawed. 
He  went  to  Paris,  had  an  interview  there  with  Doctor  Franklin,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1777.  He  joined  the  army  under  Washington,  and,  on  the  fifteenth  of  Sep- 
tember, 1777  (four  days  after  the  battle  of  Brandywine,  in  which  he  behaved  gal- 
lantly), he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  troop  of  cavalry.  His  legion  did 
good  service  at  the  North.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1778  he  was  ordered  to  Little 
Egg  Harbor,  on  the  New  Jersey  coast  His  force  consisted  of  cavalry  and  infantry, 
with  a  single  field-piece  from  Proctor's  artilleiy.  While  on  his  way  from  Trenton 
to  Little  Egg  Harbor,  and  when  within  eight  miles  of  the  coast,  he  was  surprised  by  a 


196  RECOLLECTIONS   OF   WASHINOTON. 

The  delay  in  the  arrival  of  the  ammunitioiirwagons  was 
prodiictive  of  the  most  serious  consequences  in  the  action 
of  the  succeeding  day.  The  general  officer  to  whom 
the  blame  of  this  delay  was  attached  was  aflerward  dis- 
covered in  a  state  of  intoxication,  lying  in  the  comer  of 
a  fence.  Lieutenant  Benjamin  Grymes,  of  the  Life- 
Guard,*  grasping  the  delinquent  by  the  collar,  placed  him 
on  his  legs,  and  bade  him  go  and  do  his  duty.  This  bold 
proceeding  on  the  part  of  a  subaltern  toward  a  general 
officer  was  certainly  at  variance  with  all  rules  or  orders 
of  discipline ;  but  the  exigency  of  the  moment,  and  the 
degraded  spectacle  that  an  officer  of  high  rank  had  pre- 
sented to  the  eyes  of  the  soldiery,  would  seem  to  have 
warranted  a  proceeding  that,  imder  different  circum- 
stances, must  be  considered  as  subversive  of  all  military 
discipline.  Grymes  was  a  bold,  brave  soldier,  enthusi- 
astically attached  to  the  cause  of  his  country,  and  fore- 
most among  the  asserters  of  her  liberties.  The  general 
officer  of  whom  we  have  spoken  was  brought  to  a  court- 
martial  and  cashiered.f 

partjr  of  British,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  infantry  were  bayoneted.  Jalien,  a  deserter 
from  his  corps,  had  given  information  of  his  position ;  the  surprise  was  complete. 
His  loss  was  forty  men,  among  them  Lieutenant-Colonel  Baron  de  Botzen.  Pulaski 
was  ordered  to  the  South  in  February,  1779,  and  was  in  active  service  under  Lin- 
coln until  the  siege  of  Savannah,  in  October  of  that  year,  where  he  was  mortally 
wounded.  His  banner,  made  of  crimson  silk,  and  beautifully  embroidered  by  the 
Moravian  sisters  of  Bethlehem,  was  preserved,  and  carried  to  Baltimore.  He  was 
taken  to  the  United  States  brig  Wasp,  where  he  died.  He  was  buried  under  a  lai^ 
tree  on  St.  Helen's  island,  about  fifty  miles  from  Savannah,  by  his  first  lieutenant 
and  personal  friend,  Charles  Litomiski.  Funeral  honors  were  paid  to  his  memory 
at  Charleston ;  and,  on  the  29th  of  November,  Congress  voted  the  erection  of  a  mon- 
ument to  his  memory.  Like  other  monuments  ordered  by  the  continental  Con- 
gress, the  stone  for  Pulaski's  is  yet  in  the  quarry.  The  citizens  of  Savannah  have 
reared  a  fine  marble  obelisk,  upon  a  granite  base,  in  commemoration  of  the  services 
of  General  Greene  and  Count  Palaski. 

*  A  notice  of  Washington's  Life-Guard  is  given  in  another  chapter. 

t  The  officer  hero  alluded  to,  was  General  Adam  Stephen  of  the  Virginia  Ime, 


BATTLE   OP  GERMANTOWN.  197 

The  surprise  was  complete.  Between  daybreak  and 
sunrise  the  British  pickets  were  forced,  and  the  light- 
infantry,  routed  in  their  camp,  fled  in  confusion,  leaving 
their  camp  standing  *     So  complete  was  the  surprise, 

and  a  companion-in-arms  of  Washington,  daring  the  French  and  Indian  war.  He 
was  a  captain  in  the  Ohio  expedition  in  1754,  conducted  bj  Colonel  Washington. 
Afterward  raised  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel,  he  was  intrasted  with  the  com- 
mand  of  Fort  Cumberland.  He  was  left  in  the  command  of  the  Yiiginia  forces 
while  Washington  went  to  Boston,  on  an  official  errand  to  Goremor  Shu'ley,  in 
1755,  and  was  afterward  despatched  to  South  Carolina,  to  oppose  the  Creek  Indians. 
On  hia  return,  he  was  pkced  at  the  head  of  troops  for  the  defence  of  the  Yiiginia 
frontier,  and  was  commissioned  a  brigadier.  Congress  appointed  him  a  major- 
general,  early  in  1777,  and  he  behayed  well  in  the  battle  of  Brandywine.  Yielding 
to  a  bad  habit,  he  fell  into  disgrace  at  Germantown.  His  troops,  it  can  scarcely  be 
said,  were  in  the  action  at  all.  He  was  accused  of  "  unofflcer-like-conduct "  during 
the  action  and  th^  retreat,  was  found  guilty  of  being  intoxicated,  and  was  dismissed 
from  the  army,  much  to  the  chagrin  of  many  of  the  officers,  for  he  was  a  pleasant, 
companionable  man.  On  the  third  of  December,  1777,  the  Marquis  de  Lafieiyette  was 
appointed  to  the  command  of  General  Stephen's  division.  This  was  the  first  time 
that  the  marquis  had  been  honored  with  a  leadership  appropriate  to  his  rank  since 
he  joined  the  army. 

*  Washington  arranged  the  following  order  of  march  against  the  enemy  at  Ger- 
mantown : — 

'*  The  divisions  of  Sullivan  and  Wayne,  flanked  by  Conway's  brigade,  were  to 
enter  the  town  by  way  of  Chestnut  hill ;  while  General  Armstrong,  with  the  Penn- 
sylvania militia,  should  fall  down  the  Manatawny  road  by  Vandeering's  mill,  and 
get  upon  the  enemy's  lef^  and  rear.  The  divisions  of  Green  and  Stephen,  flanked 
by  M'Dougall's  brigade,  were  to  enter  by  taking  a  circuit  by  way  of  the  Lime-Kiln 
road,  at  the  market-house,  and  attack  their  right  wing;  and  the  militia  of  Maryland 
and  Jersey,  under  Generals  Smallwood  and  Forman,  were  to  march  by  the  old  York 
road,  and  fall  upon  the  rear  of  their  right.  Lord  Stirling,  with  Nash's  and  Max- 
well's brigade  was  to  form  a  corps  de  reserve,"— Washington's  later  to  the  president 
o/Cmgress,  6th  October,  1777. 

To  understand  this  march,  it  is  necessary  to  define  the  location  of  the  four  several 
roads  mentioned.  The  Skippack  or  main  road  over  Chestnut  hill  and  Mount  Airy, 
passed  through  the  village  and  on  to  Philadelphia,  forming  the  principal  street  of 
Germantown.  The  Manatawny  or  Ridge  road,  parallel  with  this,  was  nearer  the 
Schuylkill,  and  entered  the  main  road  below  the  Tillage.  Eastward  of  the  village 
was  the  Lime-Kiln  road,  which  entered  at  the  market-place,  and  still  farther  east- 
ward, was  the  old  York  road,  which  fell  into  the  main  road,  some  distance  below 
the  village.  The  main  British  army  lay  encamped  across  the  lower  part  of  the 
village.    The  right,  commanded  by  General  Grant,  lay  eastward  of  the  village— 


198  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

that  the  oflBicer's  watches  were  found  hanging  up  in  their 
marquees,  together  with  their  portmanteaus  and  trunks 
of  clothes,  the  latter  affording  a  most  seasonable  booty 
to  the  American  soldiery.  Many  of  the  tents  and  mar- 
quees were  burnt,  owing  to  a  want  of  vehicles  to 
carry  them  away.  Although  completely  routed  in  the 
onset,  the  British  light-infantry  rallied  under  their  offi- 
cers, and  annoyed  their  enemy  from  every  house,  enclo- 
sure, or  other  defensible  position  that  offered  in  the  line 
of  their  retreat ;  thus  showing  the  mighty  power  of  dis- 
cipline over  broken  troops,  and  its  invaluable  influences 
amid  the  greatest  emergencies  of  war. 

Six  companies  of  the  fortieth  regiment,  under  their 
lieutenant-colonel,f  being  hard  pressed  by  the  advancing 
columns  of  the  Americans,  threw  themselves  into  Chew's 
house,  a  strongly-constructed  stone  building,  and  barri- 
cading the  lower  windows,  opened  a  destructive  fire  fmm 
the  cellars  and  upper  windows.  The  Americans,  finding 
their  musketry  made  no  impression,  were  in  the  act  of 
dragging  "^up  their  cannon  to  batter  the  walls,  when  a 
ruse  de  gxierre  was  attempted,  which,  however,  failed  of 
success.  An  officer  galloped  up  from  the  house,  and 
cried  out,  "  What  are  you  about ;  you  will  fire  upon  your 

tech  wing  corered  bj  strong  detachments,  and  guarded  by  cavalry.  Howe's  head- 
quarters was  in  the  rear  of  the  centre.  About  two  miles  in  advance  was  a  battalion 
of  British  infantry,  with  a  train  of  artillery ;  and  an  out-lying  picket  with  two  six- 
pounders,  was  at  Mount  Airy.  It  was  this  picket  and  light-infkntry  which  are 
referred  to  in  the  text.  The  attack  was  led  by  General  Wayne,  whoso  men  remem- 
bered the  massacre  of  their  companions-in-arms  at  Paoli,  on  the  night  of  the  twen- 
tieth of  September.  *♦  They  pushed  in  with  the  bayonet,"  says  Wayne,  "  and  took 
ample  vengeance  for  that  night's  work.*' 

*  Lieutenant-Colonel  Musgrave.  He  lay  encamped  in  a  field  west  of  the  main 
road,  opposite  the  heavy  stone-house  of  Chief-Justice  Chew,  which  is  yet  standing 
at  Qermantown. 


BATTLE  OF  GEBHANTOWN.  199 

OTm  people."  The  artillery  opened,  but,  after  fifteen  or 
twenty  rounds,  the  pieces  were  found  to  be  of  too  small 
caliber  to  make  a  serious  impression,  and  were  with- 
drawn. 

A  most  daring  and  chivalric  attempt  was  now  made  to 
fire  the  buUding.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Laurens,  aid-de- 
camp to  the  conunander-in-chieiT.  with  a  few  volunteers, 
rushed  up  to  the  house  under  cover  of  the  smoke,  and 
applied  a  burning  brand  to  the  principal  door,  at  the 
same  time  exchanging  passes  with  his  sword  with  the 
enemy  on  the  inside.  By  almost  a  miracle,  this  gallant 
and  accomplished  officer  escaped  unharmed,  although  his 
clothes  were  repeatedly  torn  by  the  enemy's  shot.  An- 
other and  equally  daring  attempt  was  made  by  Major 
White,  aid-de-camp  to  General  Sullivan,  but  without  as 
fortunate  a  result  The  major,  while  in  the  act  of  firing 
one  of  the  cellar  windows,  was  mortally  wounded,  and 
died  soon  afterward.* 

Washington  accompanied  the  leading  division  under 
Major-General  Sullivan,  and  cheered  his  soldiers  in  their 
brilliant  onsets  as  they  drove  the  enemy  from  point  to 

*  I  Tisited  "  Chew's  house"  in  the  antamn  of  1848,  when  tiie  renerable  daughter^ 
in-law  of  Judge  Chew  was  yet  Unng  there.  She  informed  me  that,  several  years 
after  the  war,  and  soon  after  her  marriage,  while  a  young  man  named  White  was 
Tisiting  her  father-in-law,  the  old  gentleman,  in  relating  incidents  of  the  battle  in 
Qermantown,  mentioned  the  circumstance  that  a  Major  White,  an  aid  of  General 
SuUiran,  and  one  of  the  handsomest  men  in  the  continental  army,  attempted  to  firo 
the  house  for  the  purpose  of  driving  out  the  British.  He  ran  under  a  windqw  with 
a  fire-brand,  where  shots  from  the  building  could  not  touch  him.  He  was  discovered, 
and  a  British  soldier,  running  into  the  cellar,  shot  him  dead  from  a  basement  window. 
The  young  man  was  much  affected  by  the  recital,  and  said  to  Judge  Chew,  "  That 
Bfi^jor  White,  sir,  was  my  father."  Mrs.  Chew  pointed  oat  to  me  the  window, 
near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  house,  from  which  the  shot  was  fired.  The  Marquis 
de  Chflstellux,  in  his  Journal  (i.  212)  says,  that  M.  Manduit,  a  meritorious  officer  in 
the  continental  service,  tried  to  fire  the  house  with  burning  straw. 


200  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WA8HIN0T0N. 

point  Arrived  in  the  vicinity  of  Chew's  house,  the 
conimander-in-chief  halted  to  consult  his  officers  as  to  the 
best  course  to  be  pursued  toward  this  fortress  that  had 
so  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  sprung  up  in  their  way. 
The  younger  officers  who  were  immediately  attached  to 
the  person  of  the  chief,  and  among  the  choicest  spirits  of 
the  Revolution,  including  the  high  and  honored  names  of 
Hamilton,  of  Eeed,  of  Pinckney,  of  Laurens,  and  of  Lee, 
were  for  leaving  Chew's  house  to  itself  or  of  turning 
the  siege  into  a  blockade,  by  stationing  in  its  vicinity  a 
body  of  troops  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  gar- 
rison, and  pressing  on  with  the  column  in  pursuit  of 
the  flying  enemy.  But  the  sages  of  the  army,  at  the 
head  of  whom  was  Major-General  Enox,  repulsed  at  once 
the  idea  of  leaving  a  fortified  enemy  in  the  rear,  as  con- 
trary to  the  usages  of  war,  and  the  most  approved  mili- 
tary  authorities.* 

At  this  period  of  the  action  the  fog  had  become  so 
dense  that  objects  could  scarcely  be  distinguished  at  a 
few  yards  distance.  The  Americans  had  penetrated  the 
enemy's  camp  even  to  their  second  line,  which  was 
drawn  up  to  receive  them  about  the  centre  of  German- 
town.    The  ammimition  of  the  right  wing,  including  the 

*  "  What!"  exclaimed  Bee  J,  when  Enox  spoke  of  Chew's  house  as  a  fort,  '*  call 
this  a  fort,  and  lose  the  happy  pioment !"  Thej  then  sought  Conwaj  to  decide  the 
point,  hat  he  was  not  to  be  found.  The  author  is  eridentlj  in  error,  in  supposing 
Washington  to  hare  been  engaged  in  this  consultation.  He  had  not  jet  arriyed  to 
that  point  of  the  conflict  Knox's  opinion  prevailed,  and  pursuit  was  abandoned. 
Wajne  heartily  condemned  the  attack  upon  Chew's  house,  and  attributed  the  loss 
of  the  day  chiefly  to  the  delay  and  confusion  which  it  caused.  "  A  winding  attack," 
he  said,  "was  made  upon  a  house  into  which  six  light  companies  had  thrown  them- 
selves to  avoid  our  bayonets.  Our  troops  were  deceived  by  this  attack,  thinking  it 
something  formidable.  They  fell  back  to  assist — the  enemy  believing  it  to  be  a  re- 
treat, followed — confusion  ensued,  and  we  ran  away  from  the  arms  of  victory  open 
to  receive  us." 


BATTLE  OF   GEEMANTOWN.  201 

Maryland  brigades,  became  exhausted,  the  soldiers  hold- 
ing up  their  empty  cartridge-boxes,  when  their  officers 
called  on  them  to  rally  and  face  the  enemy.  The  ex- 
tended line  of  operations,  which  embraced  nearly  two 
miles ;  the  unfavorable  nature  of  the  ground  in  the  en- 
virons of  Germantown  for  the  operation  of  troops  (a 
large  portion  of  whom  were  undisciplined),  the  groimd 
being  much  cut  up,  and  intersected  by  stone-fences  and 
enclosures  of  various  sorts ;  the  delay  of  the  left  wing 
under  Greene  in  getting  into  action* — all  these  causes, 
combined  with  an  atmosphere  so  dense  from  fog  and 
smoke  as  to  make  it  impossible  to  distinguish  fiiend  from 
foe,  produced  a  retreat  in  the  American  army  at  the 
moment  when  victory  seemed  to  be  within  its  grasp. 

Washington  was  among  the  foremost  in  his  endeavors 
to  restore  the  fortunes  of  the  day,  and  while  exerting 
himself  to  rally  his  broken  columns,  the  exposure  of  his 
person  became  so  imminent^  that  his  officers,  after  affec- 
tionately remonstrating  with  him  in  vain,  seized  the 
bridle  of  his  horse.f 

*  The  diTisions  of  Greeno  and  Stephen  having  to  make  a  circuit,  were  qaite  late 
in  coming  into  action.  Thej  became  separated,  part  of  Stephen's  division  having 
been  arrested  by  the  fire  from  Chew's  house ;  and  the  fog  prevented  a  knowledge  of 
their  relative  position.  Greene  had  attacked  and  routed  a  battalion  of  light-infantry 
and  the  Qneen's  rangers,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Simcoe ;  and  believing  that  the 
Pennsylvania  militia  on  the  right,  under  General  Armstrong,  and  those  of  Maryland 
and  New  Jersey  on  the  left,  under  Smallwood,  would  carry  out  the  order  of  the 
commander-in-chief,  by  attacking  and  turning  the  first  left  and  second  right  flank  of 
the  enemy,  he  pressed  forward  with  the  brigades  of  Muhlenbuig  and  Scott,  drove 
an  advanced  regiment  of  light-infantry  before  him,  took  a  number  of  prisoners,  and 
made  his  way  to  the  market-bouse,  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  where  he  came  full 
upon  the  British  right  wing,  drawn  up  in  battle  order.  The  British  were  amazed  at 
the  vigor  of  the  republicans,  and,  as  was  afterward  ascertained,  were  on  the  point  of 
retreatiog,  when  a  panic,  caused  by  a  false  alarm,  and  the  total  ignorance  of  each 
corps,  of  the  position  of  the  other,  on  account  of  the  fog,  put  everything  into  con- 
fusion, and  a  retreat  ensued. 

t  "  I  saw  our  brave  commander-in-chief,"  wrote  General  Sullivan,  "exposing  him* 


202  RECOLLECnONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

The  retreat^  under  all  circiunstances,  was  quite  as 
favorable  as  could  be  expected.  The  whole  of  the  artil- 
lery was  saved,  and  as  many  of  the  wounded  as  could  be 
removed.  The  ninth  Virginia  regiment^  under  Colonel 
Matthews,  having  penetrated  so  far  as  to  be  without  sup- 
port, after  a  desperate  resistance,  surrendered  its  remnant 
of  a  himdred  men,  including  its  gallant  colonel,  who  had 
received  several  bayonet  wounds.  The  British  pursued 
but  two  or  three  miles,  making  prisoners  of  the  worn-out 
soldiers,  who,  after  a  night-march  of  fifteen  miles,  and  an 
action  of  three  hours,  were  found  exhausted  and  asleep 
in  the  fields  and  along  the  roads. 

While  gallantly  leading  the  North  Carolina  brigade, 
that  formed  part  of  the  reserve,  into  action,  General  Nash 
was  mortally  wounded.  A  round-shot  from  the  British 
artillery  striking  a  sign-post  in  Germantown,  glanced 
therefrom,  and,  passing  through  his  horse,  shattered  the 
general's  thigh  on  the  opposite  side.  The  fall  of  the 
animal  hurled  its  imfortunate  rider  with  considerable 
force  to  the  ground.  With  surpassing  courage  and  pres- 
ence of  mind,  General  Nash,  covering  his  wound  with 
both  of  his  hands,  gayly  called  to  his  men,  ^  Never  mind 
me,  I  have  had  a  devil  of  a  tumble ;  rush  on,  my  boys, 
rush  on  the  enemy,  I'll  be  after  you  presently."  Human 
nature  could  do  no  more.  Faint  from  loss  of  blood,  and 
the  intense  agony  of  his  woimd,  the  sufierer  was  borne 
to  a  house  hard  by,  and  attended  by  Doctor  Craik,  by 
special  order  of  the  commander-in-chief  The  doctor 
gave  his  patient  but  feeble  hopes  of  recovery,  even  with 

solf  to  the  hottest  fire  of  the  enemy  in  each  a  manner,  that  regard  for  my  country 
obliged  mo  to  ride  to  him  and  beg  him  to  retire.  He,  to  gratify  me  and  some  others, 
withdrew  to  a  small  distance,  but  his  anxiety  for  the  fate  of  the  day  soon  brought 
him  up  again,  whert  he  remained  till  our  troops  had  retreated." 


BATTLE  OP   GBRMANTOWN.  203 

the  chances  of  amputation^  when  Nash  observed,  "  It  may 
be  considered  unmanly  to  complain,  but  my  agony  is  too 
great  for  human  nature  to  bear.  I  am  aware  that  my 
days,  perhaps  hours,  are  numbered,  but  I  do  not  repine 
at  my  fate.  I  have  fallen  on  the  field  of  honor  while 
leading  my  brave  Carolinians  to  the  assault  of  the  enemy. 
I  have  a  last  request  to  make  of  his  excellency  the 
commander-in-chief,  that  he  will  permit  you,  my  dear 
doctor,  to  remain  with  me,  to  protect  me  while  I  Hve, 
and  my  remains  from  insult** 

Dr.  Craik  assured  the  general  that  he  had  nothing  to 
fear  from  the  enemy ;  it  was  impossible  that  they  would 
harm  him  while  living,  or  offer  an  insult  to  his  remains ; 
that  Lord  Comwallis  was  by  this  time  in  the  field,*  and 
that,  under  his  auspices,  a  woimded  officer  would  be 
treated  with  hiunanity  and  respect.  The  djdng  patriot 
and  hero  then  uttered  these  memorable  words :  "  I  have 
no  favors  to  expect  from  the  enemy.  1  have  been  con- 
sistent in  my  principles  and  conduct  since  the  commence- 
ment of  the  troubles.  From  the  very  first  dawn  of  the 
Revolution  I  have  ever  been  on  the  side  of  liberty  and 
my  country." 

He  lingered  in  extreme  torture  between  two  and  three 
days,  and  died,  admired  by  his  enemies — admired  and 
lamented  by  his  companions-in-arms.     On  Thursday,  the 

*  General  Gray,  with  the  British  left  wing,  was  jost  pressing  hard  npon  the 
Americans  in  their  flight,  when  Comwallis  arrived  from  Philadelphia,  with  a 
sqaadron  of  light-horse,  and  joined  in  the  porsnit.  Through  the  skilful  manage- 
ment of  Greene,  the  retreat  was  well  conducted,  after  the  first  paroxysm  of  the  panic 
had  subsided;  and  Wayne,  on  gaining  an  eminence  near  White  Marsh,  turned 
his  cannon  npon  the  pursuers,  and  effectually  checked  them.  There  were  about  one 
thousand  Americans  lost  in  that  battle,  killed,  wounded,  and  missing.  According  to 
Howe's  official /iceount,  the  British  loss  from  the  same  cause,  was  five  hundred  and 
thirty-five. 


204  KECOLLBCnONS  OP  WASHINGTON. 

ninth  of  October,  the  whole  American  army  was  paraded 
by  order  of  the  commander-in-chief,  to  perform  the  fimeral 
obsequies  of  General  Nash,  and  never  did  the  warrior's 
last  tribute  peal  the  requiem  of  a  braver  soldier  or  nobler 
patriot  than  that  of  the  illustrious  son  of  North  Carolina. 
Taking  rank  with  the  chie&  who  had  fallen  in  the 
high  and  holy  cause  of  a  Nation's  Independence,  the 
name  of  Nash  will  be  associated  with  the  martyr  names 
of  Warren,  Montgomery,  Wooster,  and  Mercer,  while  the 
epitaph  to  be  graven  on  his  monumental  marble  should 
be  the  memorable  words  of  the  patriot  and  hero  on  the 
field  of  his  fame :  From  the  very  fird  daivn  of  the  JRevoMion^ 
I  have  ever  been  on  the  side  of  Wberly  and  rny  comdry^ 

*  Francis  Nash  was  a  captain  in  North  Carolina,  in  1771,  and  was  distinguished 
in  the  moTements  in  the  western  parts  of  this  province,  known  as  the  Segulaior  War, 
He  was  commissioned  a  colonel  hy  the  conrention  of  North  Carolina,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  war,  and  in  Febnuuy,  1777,  the  continental  Congress  commissioD- 
ed  him  a  brigadier  in  the  grand  army.  The  ball  that  wounded  him  at  Germantown, 
killed  his  aid,  Mi\jor  Witherspoon,  son  of  Doctor  Witherspoon,  president  of  Prince- 
ton college.  Nash's  remains  were  conveyed  to  Kalpsville,  and  buried  in  the  Men- 
nonist  bnrrying-ground  there,  about  twenty-six  miles  from  Philadelphia.  On  re- 
ceiving intelligence  of  his  death,  the  Congress  resolved  to  request  Governor  Caswell, 
of  North  CaroUoa,  "  to  erect  a  monument  of  the  value  of  five  hundred  dollars,  at 
the  expense  of  the  United  States,"  in  honor  of  his  memory. 

That  proposed  monument  has  not  been  erected.    Private  patriotism  has  been  more 

faithful.    Through  the  efibrts  of  John  P.  Watson,  Esq.,  the  annalist  of  Philadelphia 

and  New  York,  the  citizens  of  Germantown  and  Norristown  have  erected  a  neat 

marble  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  gallant  Nash,  upon  which  is  the  following 

inscription  :-^ 

VOTA  VIA  MEA  JUS  PATBI^ 

IN  M£MOST  OF 

GENERAL  NASH,  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

MORTALLY  WOUNDED  AT  THE  BATTLE  OF  6EBMANT0WN, 

HERE  INTERRED,  OCTOBER  ITth,  177T, 

IN  PRESENCE  OF  THE  ABMT  HERE  ENCAMPED.  — J.  F.  W. 

Among  the  British  officers  killed  on  that  occasion,  were  Brigadier-General  James 
Agnew,  and  Lieutenant  Bird.  These  were  inhumed  in  the  South  burying-ground 
at  Germantown,  and  over  their  graves  also  Mr.  Watson  has  erected  a  neat  marble 
slab.    In  the  North  burying-ground,  the  same  patriotic  gentleman  has  set  up  com- 


BATTLE  OF  GERMAKTOWN.  206 

It  was  not  the  halt  at  Chew's  house,  it  was  not  the 
denseness  of  the  fog,  that  produced  the  unfortunate  ter- 

memoratire  slabs  at  the  head  of  the  grares  of  Captain  Tamer,  of  l^orth  Carolina, 
Migor  Irrine,  and  six  priTate  soldiers  of  the  American  armj,  who  were  killed  in  the 
battle,  and  there  buried  together. 

We  insert  the  following  letter  to  the  anthor  of  the  RecoUedioru,  from  a  gentleman 
of  Washington  city,  becanse  it  is  a  tribute  to  a  brare  officer,  whose  merits  hare  not 
been  recorded  in  history : — 

"  Washington,  February  24th,  1841. 

"Dbab  Sib  :  I  was  much  gratified  at  the  publication  in  the  Intelligencer,  on  the 
22d  instant,  of  jour  reminiscences  of  the  battle  of  Qermantown,  but  regret  that  your 
information  was  not  sufficient  to  embrace  Colonel  John  H.  Stone,  of  the  Blaryland 
brigade.  This  patriotic  and  gallant  soldier  was  conspicuous  in  the  battles  of  Long 
Island,  White  Plains,  Trenton,  Princeton,  and  Brandywine,  in  all  of  which  his  con- 
duct commanded  the  high  admiration  and  warm  approbation  of  his  commandeivia- 
chief.  General  Washington.  In  the  latter  battle  the  duty  assigned  him  was,  with  his 
men,  to  cover  and  protect  the  American  artillery,  which  he  did — the  corps,  however, 
under  his  command  suffering  immensely,  as  was  expected.  When  the  order  for  re- 
treat was  given,  in  wheeling,  his  horse  was  killed  and  he  slightly  wounded,  but  in 
the  confusion,  dropped  behind  a  bush  exhausted  with  fatigue ;  he  was  discovered  by 
one  of  his  men,  whom  he  begged  to  pass  on  and  make  his  escape,  as  he  (Stone)  was 
exhausted,  wounded,  and  must  inevitably  be  taken  prisoner;  he  was  prepared  to 
meet  his  fate,  whatever  it  might  be ;  the  soldier,  however,  could  not  be  persuaded 
to  leave  him ;  he  raised  him  from  the  ground,  took  off  his  boots,  threw  out  the 
sand  and  pebbles,  and  finally  they  succeeded  in  making  their  escape  under  cover  of 
the  wood. 

*<  At  the  battle  of  Qermantown  he  was  again  found  at  the  head  of  his  men,  and  in 
the  midst  of  that  disastrous  action  had  his  leg  shattered  by  a  musket-ball,  when  his 
brother-officers  implored  him  to  allow  himself  to  be  taken  from  the  field ;  his  reply 
was,  '  No,  never  while  I  can  wield  a  sword,  will  I  desert  my  corps  and  colors  in  the 
face  of  an  enemy.'  He  soon,  however,  became  faint  from  the  loss  of  blood  and 
anguish  of  the  wound  (the  bone  being  shattered  in  a  thousand  pieces),  when,  to  all 
appearance  in  a  dying  state,  three  of  his  faithful  soldiers  bore  him  off  the  field.  Ho 
was  taken  five  or  six  miles  on  a  litter  and  placed  in  a  farm-house.  When  General 
Washington  heard  of  it,  he  despatched  Doctor  Craik,  his  family  surgeon,  and  Doctor 
Bush,  the  physician-general  to  the  army,  bidding  them  be  kind  &nd  attentive,  and 
leave  nothing  undone  which  was  in  the  power  of  man,  or  skill  of  physicans,  to  save 
his  life.  They  immediately  advised  amputation,  but  he  refused,  and  was  on  the  next 
day  returned  as  mortally  wounded.  After  lingering  some  time  in  great  torture,  and 
suffering  from  a  severe  attack  of  tetanus,  he  recovered  so  far  as  to  bo  able  to  be 
taken  on  a  litter  to  Annapolis,  where  he  lingered  out  some  fifteen  or  twenty  years  a 
suffering  cripple,  and  at  length  fell  a  victim  to  the  irritation  of  his  wounded  condition. 
After  death  several  buckshot  were  taken  from  his  groin." 


206  B£C0LI«EGTI0K8  OP  WAiBHIKOTON. 

mination  of  the  battle  of  the  fourth  of  October.  Time 
that  sheds  the  sober  and  endurmg  colors  of  truth  over 
the  events  of  the  world,  has  determined  that  the  mis- 
fortunes of  the  battle  of  Germantown  are  rather  to  be 
ascribed  to  the  undisciplined  character  of  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  American  troops,  than  to  all  other  causes 
combined.  Washington's  oldest  continental  regiments 
were  of  but  little  more  than  a  year's  standing,  while 
many  of  his  troops  had  seen  but  a  few  months'  and  some 
but  a  few  weeks'  service.  With  all  these  disadvantages, 
the  plan  of  the  surprise  of  Germantown  was  ably  con- 
ceived and  gallantly  executed  in  the  outset,  and  failed 
.of  complete  success  only  from  circumstances  beyond  ail 
human  control 

Congress  passed  a  unanimous  resolution,  conciliatory 
to  the  feelings  of  the  commander-in-chie^  his  officers 
and  soldiers,  under  their  disappointment^  intimating 
*^that  it  was  not  in  natiu-e  to  command  success,"  but 
their  brave  army  ^  had  done  more ;  it  had  deserved  it"* 

The  eflFects  resulting  from  the  battle  of  Germantown 
were  most  happy  both  at  home  and  abroad.  The  enemy 
were  taught  to  respect  American  troops  which  they  had 
affected  to  despise;  and  Sir  William  Howe  deemed  it 
prudent  to  draw  in  all  his  outposts,  and  shelter  himself 
in  Philadelphia,  which  proved  a  great  relief  to  a  larg6 
and  valuable  portion  of  the  adjacent  country.  Indeed,  it 
becomes  the  duty  of  the  historian  to  declare  that  matters 
might  have  been  much  worse  on  the  fourth  of  October. 
When  the  Americans  retreated,  the  second  line  of  the 
enemy  was  in  great  force,  having  been  but  little  impaired 

*  Seo  JoarnaU  of  Congress,  October  8, 1777.    A  medal  was  also  ordered  to  be 
stmck  in  commemoration  of  that  event,  and  presented  to  Washington. 


BATCLB  OF  0£BMANTOWN.  207 

in  the  action,  while  the  reserve,  consisting  of  the  grenor 
diers,  were  close  at  hand  to  sustain  their  comrades,  those 
chosen  fellows  having,  at  the  first  alarm,  seized  their 
arms,  and  ran,  without  halting,  from  the  commons  of 
Philadelphia  to  Germantown.  Howe's  army  in  1777, 
without  disparagement  of  the  British  service  before  or 
since  that  time,  may  be  considered  as  the  finest  body  of 
troops  that  ever  embarked  from  the  British  dominions ; 
yet  such  was  the  alarm  and  confusion  into  which  these 
veterans  were  thrown  by  the  masterly  surprise  Q.t  Ger- 
mantown, and  such  the  courage  and  vigor  displayed  by 
the  Americans  in  their  attacks  in  the  early  part  of  the 
day,  that  a  rendezvous  at  Chester  became  a  measure  of 
serious  contemplation  among  the  commanders  of  the 
British  army  * 

But  the  most  happy  and  imposing  influences  upon 

*  la  a  letter  to  the  president  of  CoDgress,  written  three  days  after  the  battle, 
Washington  says : — 

"  It  is  with  much  chagrin  and  mortification  I  add,  that  every  account  confirms 
the  opinion  I  at  first  entertained,  that  oar  troops  retreated  at  the  instant  when  vic^ 
tory  was  declaring  herself  in  oar  favor.  The  tamalt,  disorder,  and  even  despair, 
which,  it  seems,  had  taken  place  in  the  British  army,  were  scarcely  to  be  paralleled ; 
|ind,  it  is  said,  so  strongly  did  the  idea  of  a  retreat  prevail,  that  Chester  was  fixed 
on  as  a  place  of  rendezvous.  I  can  discover  no  other  caase  for  not  improving  this 
happy  opportunity  than  the  extreme  haziness  of  the  weather."  Writing,  at  the  same 
time,  to  Governor  Trumbull,  of  Connecticat,  Washington  said :  "  Bat  the  morning 
was  so  excessively  foggy,  that  we  could  not  see  the  confusion  the  enemy  were  in, 
and  the  advantage  we  had  gained ;  and  fearing  to  push  too  far  through  a  strong  vil- 
lage, we  retired,  after  an  engagement  of  two  hours,  bringing  off  all  our  artillery  with 
us.  We  did  not  know  until  after  the  affair  was  over  how  near  we  were  to  gaining  a 
complete  victory."  Captain  William  Heth,  a  Vii^nia  officer,  in  a  letter  to  Colonel 
JohnfLamb,  of  the  artillery,  asserted,  that  Chester  had  been  fixed  upon  as  a  place 
of  rendezvous^  and  that  "  upwards  of  two  thousand  Hessians  had  actually  crossed  tlie 
Schuylkill  for  that  purpose."  He  also  stated,  that  the  tories  in  Philadelphia  were 
in  great  distress,  and  commenced  moving  out  of  the  city;  and  that  in  the  pursuit, 
the  republicans  passed  "upward  of  twenty  pieces  of  cannon,  and  their  tents  standing, 
filled  with  their  choicest  baggage." 


208  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WA8HIN0T0N. 

America  and  her  cause,  resulting  from  the  battle  of  Ger- 
mantowri,  were  experienced  abroad.  "Eh,  mon  Dieu," 
exclaimed  the  Coimt  de  Vergennes,  the  French  minister 
of  foreign  affairs,  to  the  American  commissioners  in  Paris, 
"what  is  this  you  tell  me.  Messieurs;  another  battle, 
and  the  British  grand  army  surprised  in  its  camp  at 
Germantown,  Sir  William  and  his  veterans  routed  and 
flying  for  two  hours,  and  a  great  victory  only  denied  to 
Washington  by  a  tissue  of  accidents  beyond  all  human 
control.  Ah,  ah,  these  Americans  are  an  elastic  people. 
Press  them  down  to-day,  they  rise  to-morrow.  And  then, 
my  dear  sirs,  these  military  wonders  to  be  achieved  by 
an  army  raised  within  a  single  year,  opposed  to  the  skill, 
discipline,  and  experience  of  European  troops  command- 
ed by  generals  grown  gray  in  war.  The  brave  Americans, 
they  are  worthy  of  the  aid  of  France.  They  will  succeed 
at  last."* 

The  winterof  1777setinearly,andwith  unusual  severity. 
The  military  operations  of  both  armies  had  ceased,  when 
a  detachment  of  the  southern  troops  were  seen  plodding 
their  weary  way  to  winter  quarters  at  the  Valley  Forge.f 

*  When  intelligence  of  these  bold  and  vigoroas  movements,  and  the  victory  of  the 
republicans  at  Saratoga,  reached  Europe,  the  most  timid  friend  of  the  Ameri- 
cans took  courage.  At  the  French  court  the  most  active  sympathy  for  them 
was  professed.  **  Surely  such  a  people  possess  the  elements  of  success,  and  will 
achieve  it.  We  may  now  safely  strike  England  a  severe  blow,  by  acknowledging 
the  independence,  and  forming  an  alliance  with  her  revolted  colonies,"  argued  the 
French  government ;  and  so,  with  more  of  a  desire  to  injure  the  old  enemy  of  Franco 
than  to  help  a  people  struggling  for  freedom,  the  French  court  speedily  acknowl- 
edged the  independence  of  the  United  States,  and  formed  a  treaty  of  friendship  and 
alliance  with  them. 

t  On  the  west  side  of  the  Schuylkill,  in  Montgomery  county,  Pennsylvania,  about 
twenty  miles  from  Philadelphia,  is  a  deep  rugged  goi^,  scooped  from  a  slope 
stretching  from  high  land  down  to  the  river,  and  through  which  runs  a  considemblo 
stream.  There,  Isaac  Potts,  in  whose  house  Washington  kept  his  headquarters  in 
the  winter  of  1777,  '78,  erected  iron -works  and  a  foi^,  and  the  place  became  known 


BATTLE  OF   GERMANTOWN.  209 

The  appearance  of  the  horse-guard  announced  the  ap- 
proach of  the  commander-in-chief  The  officer  command- 
ing the  detachment^  choosing  the  most  favorable  groimd, 
paraded  his  men  to  pay  their  general  the  honors  of  the 
passing  salute.  As  Washington  rode  slowly  up,  he  was 
observed  to  be  eying  very  earnestly  something  that  at- 
tracted his  attention  on  the  frozen  surface  of  the  road. 
Having  returned  the  salute  with  that  native  grace,  that 
dignified  air  and  manner,  that  won  the  admiration  of  the 
soldiery  of  the  old  Revolutionary  day,  the  chief  reined 
up  his  charger,  and,  ordering  the  commanding  officer  of 
the  detachment  to  his  side,  addressed  him  as  follows: 
^  How  comes  it,  sir,  tiiat  I  have  tracked  the  march  of 
your  troops  by  the  blood-stains  of  their  feet  upon  the 
firozen  ground?  Were  there  no  shoes  in  the  commis- 
sary's stores,  that  this  sad  spectacle  is  to  be  seen  along 
the  public  highways  ?"  The  officer  replied :  "  Your  ex- 
cellency may  rest  assured  that  this  sight  is  as  painful  to 
my  feelings  as  it  can  be  to  yours  j  but  there  is  no  remedy 
within  our  reach.  When  the  shoes  were  issued,  the  dif- 
ferent regiments  were  served  in  turn ;  it  was  our  misfor- 
tune to  be  among  the  last  to  be  served,  and  the  stores 
became  exhausted  before  we  could  obtain  even  the 
smallest  supply." 

The  general  was  observed  to  be  deeply  afiected  by  his 
officer's  description  of  the  soldiers'  privations  and  suffer- 
ings. His  compressed  lips,  the  heaving  of  his  manly 
chest,  betokened  the  powerful  emotions  that  were  strug- 
gling in  his  bosom,  when,  timiing  toward  the  troops  with 

as  Valley  Foi^e.  After  the  retreat  ftom  Germantown  the  Americans  encamped 
at  White  Marsh,  but  the  weather  becoming  too  serere  for  them  to  remain  in  tents, 
Washington  broke  np  his  camp  and  moved  his  troops  to  Valley  Forge,  where  they 
constractod  huts  and  remained  daring  the  severe  winter  that  ensaed. 

14 


210  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WAfiHINGTOK. 

a  voice  tremulous  yet  kindly,  Washington  exclaimed, 
"  Poor  fellows  /'  then  giving  rein  to  his  charger,  rode  away. 

During  this  touching  interview,  every  eye  was  bent 
upon  the  chie^  every  ear  was  attentive  to  catch  his 
words ;  and  when  those  words  reached  the  soldiers,  warm 
from  the  heart  of  their  beloved  commander,  and  in  tones 
of  sorrow  and  commiseration  for  their  sufferings,  a  grate- 
ful but  subdued  expression  burst  from  every  lip,  of  "  God 
bless  your  excellency,  your  poor  soldiers'  friend." 

In  this  interesting  event  in  the  life  and  actions  of 
Washington,  he  appears  in  a  new  light  He  is  no  longer 
the  grave,  the  dignified,  the  awe-inspiring  and  imap- 
proachable  general-in-chief  of  the  armies  of  his  country. 
All  these  characteristics  have  vanished,  and  the  Pater 
Patriae  appears  amid  his  companions  in  arms,  in  all  his 
moral  grandeur,  giving  vent  to  his  native  goodness  of 
heart* 

*  Doctor  Gordon,  the  earliest  historian  of  the  war,  sajs,  that  "  while  at  Washings 
ton's  table,  in  1784,  the  chief  informed  him  that  bloody  foot-prints  were  ererywhere 
visible  in  the  coarse  of  their  march  of  nineteen  miles  from  Whitemarsh  to  Valley 
Foiige."  The  commissary  and  qnartermaster's  department  had  been  so  mach  de- 
ranged by  the  interference  of  Congress  and  the  neglect  of  officers,  that  while  there 
was  an  ample  supply  of  shoes,  which  had  been  provided  for  the  anny,  they  were  not 
where  they  should  have  been  when  wanted.  Gordon  asserts,  on  good  authority, 
that  at  that  very  time,  "  hogsheads  of  shoes,  stockings,  and  clothing,  were  lying  at 
different  places  on  the  roads,  and  in  the  woods,  perishing  for  want  of  teams,  or  of 
money  to  pay  the  teamsters." 


BATTLE  OF  MONMOUTH.  f       211 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  MONMOUTH.* 

Appsoaoh  of  thb  Ahebxoahs  towjlBd  Monmouth  Covvthoubx— BsonxoK  or  ▲  CoimoiL 
OP  Was— WABHDroioir  abbuios  Gbkat  BBBPoaaxBiLrrr— Ha  DrnmBMissB  to  Fzoht  ih« 
Exxmr— Nonoa  or  Jsffxbsoh'b  Opinion  of  Wabionoton— Washinoton  mxstb  tun 
FxTiNO  Amkxzoan  Akmt— Anxodotb  or  Golonnl  Hamilton  ^-Wabhinoton  butobxs 
ton  Foxtcxxs  or  thn  Bat— Hm  Hossas— Lafatxttk's  Acooxtnt  of  Wabhington'b  Ap- 

PKABAKOX  —  DXATH  OF  COLONBL  MONOKTON  —  GaPTAIN  FAVNTLXBOT  —  PbOPOSXD  MbMO- 
XIAL  TO  WaBHINOTON  OONOXBNINO  £ZP06FBX  OF  HlMBKLF  IN  B ATTLX  —  BXMABXS  OF  BOO- 

TOB  GsAix— Thx  Indian  Pbophxot— Babon  Btxvbxn— Thb  Valxts  Cannonadxd  — 
Captain  Molly— Washinqton  on  thx  Nioht  of  thx  Baitlx— Betbxat  of  thb  BxiriBn 
— ToTB  OF  Thanks  bt  thb  Gonobbsb. 

The  commander-in-chief  having  completed  his  arrange- 
ments for  bringing  the  enemy  to  a  general  action,  pro- 
ceeded slowly  toward  Monmouth  courthouse,  early  on 
the  morning  of  the  twenty-eighth  of  Jime,  1778.f 

*  Pal>luhed  in  the  National  Intelligencer,  February  22, 1840. 

t  Toward  the  close  of  May,  1778,  General  Sir  Henry  Clinton  sacoeeded  General 
Sir  WHliam  Howe  in  the  command  of  the  British  forces  in  America.  Perceiving 
the  dangers  to  be  apprehended  from  the  co-operation  of  a  French  fleet  under  Count 
D'Estaiog,  wiUi  the  republican  armies,  Sir  Henry  determined  to  concentrate  his 
forces  at  New  York,  the  most  eligible  point  for  acting  efficiently  against  the  "  rebels." 
Accordingly,  on  the  eighteenth  of  June,  he  evacuated  Philadelphia,  pursuant  to  an 
order  of  the  British  ministry.  His  whole  army  crossed  the  Delaware,  into  New 
Jersey,  eleven  thousand  strong,  with  an  immense  baggage  and  provision  train,  and 
marehed  for  New  York  by  way  of  New  Brunswick  and  Amboy. 

Washington,  meanwhile,  had  been  led  to  suspect  some  movement  of  this  kind, 
and  was  on  the  alert  He  broke  up  his  encampment  at  Valley  Foige,  and  moved 
toward  the  Delaware,  and  when  he  ascertained  that  Clinton  had  passed  over  into 
New  Jersey,  he  crossed  also,  at  a  point  some  distance  above  Philadelphia,  and  com- 
menced a  series  of  manosuvres  to  compel  Clinton  to  change  his  course  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Sandy  Hook.  This  he  e£fected,  having  with  him  a  force  eqnal  to  the  enemy, 
and  Sir  Henry  marched  toward  Monmouth  coortfaouse. 


212       ^  BECOLLEOnONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

In  the  council  of  war  there  were  but  two  voices  for 
risking  a  general  engagement^  Cadwalader,*  a  gallant 
fellow,  and  devoted  in  his  attachment  to  the  chief,  and 
Anthony  Wayne,  who  always  said  aye  when  fighting 
was  to  be  had  on  any  terms.f 

Washington  certainly  assumed  a  great  responsibility 
in  risking  an  engagement^  contr^-ry  to  the  opinions  of  a 
large  majority  of  his  generals,  and  notwithstanding  the 
vast  disparity  of  his  forces  when  compared  with  those  of 
his  adversary — ^the  disparity  consisting  more  in  the  ma- 
teriel of  which  the  respective  armies  was  composed  than 
in  their  numerical  estimates.    But  it  is  to  be  remembered 

*  General  John  Cadwalader.  He  was  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  and  in  1775,  was 
a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  convention.  He  entered  the  army,  and  was  appointed 
brigadier  by  Congress  in  February,  1777,  and  also  in  1778,  as  commander  of  cavalry, 
bat  declined  the  appointment  on  both  occasions.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Princeton,  Brandywine,  Germantown,  and  Monmonth.  On  the  foorth  of  July, 
1778,  he  fought  a  duel  with  General  Conway,  the  quarrel  which  led  to  it  growing 
out  of  the  intrigue  of  that  officer  with  Gates  and  others  against  Washington.  Con- 
way was  badly,  but  not  mortally,  wounded.  Cadwalader  removed  to  Maryland 
after  the  war,  and  became  a  member  of  its  state  legislature.  He  died  on  the  tenth 
of  February,  1786,  aged  forty-three  years.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  laige  fortune, 
and  dispensed  its  blessings  with  a  liberal  hand.  Many  of  his  descendants  yet  reside 
in  Philadelphia  and  vicinity. 

t  Washington  held  a  council  of  war  at  Valley  Forge,  on  the  seventeenth  of  June, 
when  a  proposition  was  submitted,  whether  it  would  be  advisable,  in  case  an  oppor- 
tunity offered,  to  hazard  a  general  engagement  with  the  enemy,  in  New  Jersey 
The  decision  was  a  negative ;  but  it  was  recommended  to  send  out  detachments  to 
harass  the  enemy.  Of  the  nine  general  officers  in  that  council,  only  four  ^not  two 
only,  as  asserted  by  the  author  of  the  RecoUectians)  were  in  favor  of  a  general 
engagement.  These  were  the  chiefs  four  best  officers  —  Greene,  Lafayette,  Wayn^, 
and  Cadwalader.  At  Hopewell,  in  Now  Jersey,  he  called  another  council,  sub- 
mitted a  similar  question,  and  obtained  the  same  result.  Cadwalader  was  not  present ; 
Greene,  Lafayette,  and  Wayne,  adhered  to  their  former  opinion.  General  Lee,  who  had 
lately  been  exchanged  for  Prescott,  and  had  joined  the  anny  as  Washington's  second 
in  command,  opposed  the  measure  with  warmth,  as  before.  At  first,  Washington 
was  embarrassed  by  their  divided  opinions ;  but,  relying  upon  his  own  judgment, 
which  was  strongly  in  favor  of  an  engagement,  he  asked  no  further  advice,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  make  arrangements  fbr  battle. 


BATTL.:   OF   MONMOUTH.  213 

that  the  two  principal  actions  of  the  grand  army  in  the 
preceding  campaign,  though  bravely  contested,  had  re- 
sulted imfortunately.*  Since  the  close  of  the  campaign 
of  77,  an  alliance  had  been  formed  with  France,  whose 
fleets  and  armies  were  hourly  expected  on  omt  coasts, 
while  the  demands  of  the  people,  and  those  often  loudly 
expressed,  were  for  battles.f  Urged  by  these  consider- 
ations, the  American  chief  determined,  happen  what 
would,  to  fight  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  so  that  he  should  not 
evacuate  Philadelphia,  and  reach  his  stronghold  in  New 
York  unscathed.  Crossing  the  Delaware,  the  American 
approached  his  formidable  foe,  who,  trusting  in  his  supe- 
riority of  ninnbers,  discipline,  and  appointment,  was 
leisurely  wending  his  way  toward  Staten  Island,  the 
place  of  embarkation  for  New  York. 

As  a  soldier,  Washington  was  by  nature  the  very  soul 
of  enterprise ;  but,  fortunately  for  his  fame  and  for  his 
country,  this  daring  spirit  was  tempered  by  a  judgment 
and  prudence  the  most  happy  in  their  characters  and 
eflFects.  And  yet  an  illustrious  patriot  and  statesman  of 
the  Revolution,  and  most  accomplished  writer  (Mr.  JeflFer- 
son),  has  said  that  the  Pater  Patrida  was  rather  the  Fa- 
bius  than  the  Marcellus  of  war,  his  extreme  caution 
fitting  him  better  for  the  cool  and  methodical  operations 
of  sieges  than  for  the  daring  strategy  of  surprise,  or  the 

*  Brandjwiiie  and  Germantown. 
■  t  The  first  movement  of  the  French  government,  in  compliance  with  the  provi- 
sions of  the  treaty  of  friendship  and  alliance  made  with  the  Americans,  was  to 
despatch  a  sqaadron,  consisting  of  twelve  ships  of  the  line  and  four  large  frigates, 
nnder  Count  D'Estaing,  to  blockade  the  British  fleet  in  the  Delaware.  Fortu- 
nately for  Admiral  Howe,  he  received  from  the  British  ministry  timely  notice  of  the 
fitting  out  of  this  armament,  and  left  the  Delaware  in  time  to  escape  the  blockade^ 
and  took  post,  with  his  fleet,  in  the  bay  between  Staten  Island  and  Sandy  Hook 
D'Estaing  arrived  off  the  capes  of  the  Delaware,  on  the  eighth  of  Jnly,  1778. 


214  RECOLLECTIONS   OP  WASHINGTON. 

close  and  stubborn  conflict  of  the  field  *     Never  was 
there  such  a  misconception  of  a  great  soldier's  attributes. 

«  The  following  interesting  sketch  of  the  character  of  Washington  was  drawn  by 
the  pen  of  Jefferson,  at  Monticello,  his  seat  in  Virginia,  on  the  second  of  Jannaiy, 
1814,  in  a  letter  to  Doctor  Walter  Jones  of  Virginia,  who  had  written  an  able  letter 
to  the  venerable  statesman,  on  parties  in  the  United  States,  and  proposed  to  prepare 
another.  In  his  letter.  Doctor  Jones  had  expressed  some  doubt  concerning  Wash- 
ington as  a  topic,  to  which  Jefferson  replied,  as  follows : — 

"  Ton  say  that  In  taking  General  Washington  on  yonr  shoalders,  to  bear  him 
harmless  through  the  federal  coalition,  you  encounter  a  perilous  topic.  I  do  not 
think  so ;  you  have  given  the  genuine  history  of  the  course  of  his  mind  through  the 
trying  scenes  in  which  it  was  engaged,  and  of  the  seductions  by  which  it  was 
deceived,  but  not  depraved.  X  think  I  knew  General  Washington  Intimately  and 
thoroughly ;  and  were  I  called  on  to  delineate  his  character,  it  should  be  in  terms 
like  these. 

"  His  mind  was  great  and  powerful,  without  being  of  the  very  first  order;  his  pene- 
tration strong,  though  not  so  acute  as  that  of  a  Newton^  Bacon,  or  Locke ;  and  as 
far  as  he  saw,  no  judgment  was  ever  sounder.  It  was  slow  in  operation,  being  little 
aided  by  invention  or  imagination,  but  sure  in  conclusion.  Hence  the  common 
remark  of  his  officers,  of  the  advantage  he  derived  from  councils  of  war,  where  hear- 
ing all  suggestions,  he  selected  whatever  was  best ;  and  certainly  no  general  ever 
planned  his  battles  more  judiciously.  But  if  deranged  during  the  course  of  the 
action,  if  any  member  of  his  plan  was  dislocated  by  sudden  circumstances,  he  was 
slow  in  re-adjustment.  The  consequence  was  that  he  often  failed  in  the  field,  and 
rarely  against  an  enemy  in  station,  as  at  Boston  and  York.  He  was  incapable  of 
fear,  meeting  personal  dangers  with  the  calmest  unconcern.  Perhaps  the  strongest 
feature  in  his  character  was  prudence,  never  acting  until  every  circumstance,  every 
consideration  was  maturely  weighed ;  refraining  if  he  saw  a  doubt,  but,  when  once 
decided,  going  through  with  his  purpose  whatever  obstacles  opposed.  His  integrity 
was  most  pure,  his  justice  the  most  inflexible  I  have  ever  known,  no  motives  of 
interest  or  consanguinity,  of  friendship  or  hatred,  being  able  to  bias  his  decision. 
He  was  indeed,  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  a  wise,  a  good,  and  a  great  man.  His 
temper  was  naturally  irritable  and  high-toned;  but  reflection  and  resolution  had 
obtained  a  firm  and  habitual  ascendency  over  it.  If  ever,  however,  it  broke  its 
bonds,  he  was  most  tremendous  in  his  wrath.  In  his  expenses  he  was  honorable, 
but  exact;  liberal  in  contributions  to  whatever  promised  utility;  but  frowning  and 
unyielding  on  all  visionary  projects  and  all  unworthy  calls  on  his  charity.  Hb 
heart  was  not  warm  in  its  affections ;  but  he  exactiy  calculated  every  man's  value, 
and  gave  him  a  solid  esteem  proportioned  to  it.  His  person,  yon  know,  was  fine, 
his  suture  exactiy  what  one  would  wbh,  his  deportment  easy,  erect,  and  noble ;  the 
best  horseman  of  his  age,  and  the  most  graceful  figure  that  could  be  seen  on  horse- 
back. Although,  in  the  circle  of  his  friends,  where  he  might  be  unreserved  with 
safety,  he  took  a  free  share  in  conversation,  his  colloquial  talents  were  not  above 


BATTLE  OF  MONMOUTH.  216 

Did  not  this  modem  Pabius,  in  the  very  depth  of  winter. 
and  after  overcoming  mighty  obstacles^  surprise  his  ene- 

mediocritj,  possessing  neither  copiousness  of  ideas,  nor  flaency  of  words.  In  public, 
when  called  on  for  a  sadden  opinion,  he  was  unready,  short,  and  embarrassed.  Yet 
he  wrote  readily,  rather  diffusely,  in  an  easy  and  correct  style.  This  he  had  acquired 
by  conversation  with  the  world,  for  his  education  was  merely  reading,  writing,  and  com- 
mon arithmetic,  to  which  he  added  surveying  at  a  later  day.  His  time  was  employed 
in  action  chiefly,  reading  little,  and  that  only  in  agriculture  and  English  history.  His 
eorrespondence  became  necessarily  extensivCi  and,  with  journalizing  his  agricultural 
proceedings,  occupied  most  of  his  leisure  hours  within  doon. 

"  On  the  whole,  his  character  was,  in  its  mass,  perfect,  in  nothing  bad,  in  few  points 
indifferent ;  and  it  may  truly  be  said  that  never  did  nature  and  fortune  combine  more 
perfectly  to  make  a  man  great,  and  to  place  him  in  the  same  consteUation  with  what- 
ever worthies  have  merited  from  man  an  everlasting  remembrance.  For  his  was  the 
singular  destiny  and  merit  of  leading  the  armies  of  his  country  successfully  through 
an  ardaooB  war,  for  the  establishment  of  its  independence ;  of  conducting  its  councils 
through  the  birth  of  a  government  new  in  its  forms  and  principles,  until  it  had  set- 
tied  down  into  a  quiet  and  orderly  train ;  and  of  scrupulously  obeying  the  laws  Ihrough 
the  whole  of  his  career,  civil  and  military,  of  which  the  history  of  the  world  fur- 
nishes no  other  example.  How  then  can  it  be  perilous  for  you  to  take  such  a  man 
on  your  shoulders  ?  I  am  satisfied  the  great  body  of  republicans  think  of  him  as  I 
do— we  were  indeed  dissatisfied  with  him  on  his  ratification  of  the  British  treaty, 
but  this  was  short-lived.  We  knew  his  honesty,  the  wiles  with  which  he  was 
encompassed,  and  that  age  had  already  begun  to  relax  the  firmness  of  his  purposes : 
and  I  am  convinced  he  is  more  deeply  seated  in  the  love  and  gratitude  of  the 
republicans,  than  in  the  pharisaical  homage  of  the  federal  monarchists.  For  he  was 
no  moiuurchist  from  preference  of  his  judgment.  The  soundness  of  that  gave  him 
correct  views  of  the  rights  of  man,  and  his  severe  justice  devoted  him  to  them. 
He  has  often  declared  to  me  that  he  considered  our  new  constitution  as  an  experi- 
ment on  the  practicability  of  republican  government,  and  with  what  dose  of  liberty 
man  could  be  trusted  for  his  own  good :  that  he  was  determined  the  experiment  should 
have  a  fair  trial,  and  would  lose  the  last  drop  of  his  blood  in  support  of  it.  And 
these  declarations  he  repeated  to  me  the  oftener,  and  the  more  pointedly,  because  he 
knew  my  suspicions  of  Colonel  Hamilton's  views,  and  probably  had  heard  from  him 
the  same  declarations  which  I  had,  to  wit :  '  That  the  British  constitution,  with  its 
unequal  representation,  corruption,  and  other  existing  abuses,  was  the  most  perfect 
government  which  had  ever  been  established  on  earth,  and  that  a  reformation  of 
those  abuses  would  make  it  an  impracticable  government.'  I  do  believe  that 
General  Washington  had  not  a  firm  confidence  in  the  durability  of  our  government. 
He  was  naturally  distrustful  of  men,  and  inclined  to  gloomy  apprehensions ;  and  I 
was  ever  persuaded  that  a  belief  that  we  must  at  length  end  in  something  like  a 
British  constitution,  had  some  weight  in  his  adoption  of  the  ceremonies  of  levees, 
biith-days,  pompous  meetings  with  Congress,  and  other  forms  of  the  same  character, 


216  RECOIXBCnONS   OF  WASHINQTON. 

my  at  Trenton,  and  recall  Victory  to  his  standard,  when 
Hope  was  almost  sinking  in  despair  ?  Did  he  not,  by  a 
masterly  manoeuvre  and  midnight  march,  surprise  his 
enemy  in  Princeton,  and  add  yet  another  laurel  to  the 
one  acquired  by  the  capture  of  the  Hessians  ?  Did  he 
not,  with  an  army  hastily  raised,  and  defeated  at  Brandy- 
wine,  in  twenty-three  days  thereafter,  surprise  the  enemy 
at  Germantown  ?  And  though  victory  was  denied  him 
by  a  force  of  circumstances  no  hmnan  power  could  have 
controlled,  yet  the  boldness  of  the  enterprise,  and  the 
success  attending  it  in  the  outset,  produced  such  a  con- 
fidence abroad  in  our  courage  and  resources,  as  to  lead 
to  our  alliance  with  a  powerful  nation.  Did  he  not  sur- 
prise the  enemy  at  Monmouth  ?  And,  although  imtoward 
events  served  to  cripple  the  operations  of  i^e  early  part 
of  the  day,  yet  the  setting-sun  shone  upon  the  battle- 
field in  possession  of  the  Americans,  the  enemy  retreat- 

calcalated  to  prepare  us  gradaally  for  a  change  which  he  beliered  possible,  and  to 
let  it  come  on  with  aa  little  shock  as  might  be  to  the  pablic  mind.  These  are  my 
opinions  of  General  Washington,  which  I  would  ronch  at  the  judgment  seat  of  Qod, 
having  been  formed  on  an  acquaintance  of  thirty  years.  I  senred  with  him  in  the 
Virginia  legislature  from  1769  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  again  a  short  time  in 
Congress,  until  he  left  us  to  take  command  of  the  army.  During  the  war,  and 
after  it,  we  corresponded  occasionally,  and  in  the  four  years  of  my  continuance  in 
the  office  of  secretary  of  stato,  our  intercourse  was  daily,  confidential,  and  cordial. 
After  I  retired  Anom  that  office  great  and  malignant  pains  were  taken  by  our  federal 
monarchists,  and  not  entirely  without  effect,  to  make  him  view  me  as  a  theorist, 
holding  French  principles  of  government  which  would  lead  infallibly  to  licentious- 
ness and  anarchy.  And  to  this  he  listened  the  more  easily  from  my  known  disappro- 
bation of  the  British  treaty.  I  never  saw  him  afterwards,  or  these  malignant  insinu- 
ations should  have  been  dissipated  before  his  just  judgment  as  mists  before  the  sun. 
I  felt,  on  his  death,  with  my  countrymen,  that  'verily  a  great  man  hath  fallen  this 
day  in  Israel.' 

"  More  time  and  recollection  would  enable  me  to  add  many  other  traits  of  his 
character ;  but  why  add  them  to  you  who  know  him  well  ?  and  I  can  not  justify  to 
myself  a  longer  detention  of  your  paper. 

''  VaUf  proprieque  tuum,  me  esse  tibi  persuadeas, 

"Th.  jBFrBxsoir." 


BATTLE  OF  MONMOUTH.  217 

ing,  and  their  dead  and  wounded  left  as  trophies  to  the 
victors.  Such  were  the  memorable  instances  in  which 
Washington,  with  troops  newly  raised,  and  badly  pro- 
vided with  every  necessary  of  war,  struck  at  his  veteran 
and  well-appointed  foe  when  least  expected,  producing 
the  happiest  influences  upon  the  American  cause,  both 
at  home  and  abroad ;  for  it  is  perfectly  well  known  that 
the  battle  of  Germantown  decided  the  ministry  of  France 
to  form  the  alliance  that  so  materially  contributed  to 
the  conclusion  of  the  war  and  the  consummation  of  our 
independence.* 

As  the  commander-in-chief,  accompanied  by  a  numer- 
ous suite,  approached  the  vicinity  of  Monmouth  court- 
house,f  he  was  met  by  a  little  fifer-boy,  who  archly  ob- 
served, ^They  are  all  coming  this  way,  your  honor." 
^  Who  are  coming,  my  little  man,"  asked  General  Enox. 
^  Why,  our  boys,  your  honor,  omr  boys,  and  the  British 
right  after  them,"  replied  the  little  musician.  "Impossi- 
ble," exclaimed  Washington!  And  giving  the  spur  to 
his  charger,  proceeded  at  full  gallop  to  an  eminence  a 
short  distance  ahead.  There,  to  his  extreme  pain  and 
mortification,  it  was  discovered  that  the  boy's  intelligence 
was  but  too  true.    The  very  eUte  of  the  American  army, 

*  This  battle  had  a  powerful  inflaence,  no  doubt,  but  the  conquest  over  the  army 
of  Burgoyne,  it  must  be  acknowledged,  was  far  more  potent.  That  conquest,  and 
the  general  fiulure  of  the  campaign  of  1777,  produced  a  marked  sensation  upon  the 
legislature  and  the  common  mind  of  Great  Britain,  and  a  great  majority  of  the  peo- 
ple and  a  powerful  minority  in  Parliament,  were  clamorous  for  peace  and  reconcili- 
ation. Even  Lord  North,  who  had  so  long,  as  prime  minister  of  England,  treated 
the  Americans  with  scorn,  proposed,  soon  after  hearing  of  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne, 
a  repeal  of  all  the  acts  of  Pariiament  obnoxious  to  the  Americans,  which  had  been 
enacted  since  1763 !  But  in  this  the  minister  was  not  sincere,  and  these  propositions 
were  called  "  doceptionary  bills,"  in  America. 

t  This  was  situated  at  the  present  village  of  Freehold,  the  capital  of  Monmouth 
county.  New  Jersey. 


218  REGOLLECnONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

five  thousand  picked  officers  and  men,  were  in  ftdl  re- 
treat, closely  pursued  by  the  enemy.*    The  first  inquiry 

*  Gcnenl  Clinton  lay  near  Monmouth  courthouse,  on  the  night  of  the  twentj-eeTcnth 
of  June.  The  next  day  he  would  reach  the  heights  of  Middktown,  when  his  strongth 
would  thereby  be  greatly  increased.  Washington  determined  to  attack  him  the 
moment  he  should  commence  his  march.  Lafayette  was  then  at  Englishtown,  a  few 
miles  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  to  watch  Sir  Henry's  movements.  General  Lee  was 
sent  with  two  brigades  to  join  Lafayette,  and,  as  senior  officer,  to  take  the  general 
command  of  the  whole  division  designed  for  making  the  first  attack.  At  the  same 
time,  the  main  body,  under  Washington,  encamped  within  three  miles  of  English- 
town.    Lee  was  ordered  to  make  an  attack  when  Sir  Henry  should  attempt  to  move. 

Before  daylight,  on  the  morning  of  the  twenty-eighth  of  June,  several  other 
American  corps  were  in  motion  toward  the  fiank  and  rear  of  the  enemy,  and  by 
eight  o'clock,  the  whole  British  army  had  taken  up  its  line  of  march.  Lee,  with  four 
thousand  troops,  exclusive  of  Morgan's  riflemen,  and  the  Jersey  militia,  pressed  for- 
ward under  cover  of  a  forest  to  an  open  field,  and  formed  his  line  for  action,  while 
Wayne  was  detailed  with  seven  hundred  men  and  two  pieces  of  artillery,  to  attack 
the  covering  parties  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy.  A  little  after  nine,  while  Wayne  was 
prosecuting  his  attack  with  vigor,  he  received  an  order  from  Lee  to  make  only  a 
feigned  attack,  and  not  push  on  too  precipitately.  Wayne  was  disappointed,  irri- 
tated, and  chagrined,  for  he  felt  that  his  commander  had  plucked  the  palm  of  victory 
from  his  hand ;  but,  like  a  true  soldier,  he  obeyed,  hoping  Lee  would  recover  what 
he  had  evidently  lost.  But  in  this,  too,  he  was  disappointed.  Clinton  had  changed 
front,  and  a  large  body  of  his  cavahry  approached  cautiously  toward  the  right  of  Lee's 
troops.  La&yette  thought  this  a  fine  opportunity  to  gain  the  rear  of  Clinton's  divi- 
sion, and  riding  quickly  up  to  Lee,  asked  permission  to  make  the  attempt.  "  Sir," 
replied  Lee,  "you  do  not  know  British  soldiers ;  we  can  not  stand  against  them ;  we 
ahall  certainly  be  driven  back  at  first,  and  we  must  be  cautious."  Lafayette  was 
disposed  to  make  the  trial«  and  Lee  partially  complied.  He  then  weakened  Wayne's 
division  by  drawing  off  three  companies  to  the  support  of  the  right.  Soon  after  this, 
by  Lee's  order,  a  general  retreat  commenced,  without  any  apparent  cause.  The 
British  pursued ;  a  panic  seized  the  Americans,  and  they  fled  in  great  confusion. 
These  were  the  fugitives  met  by  Washington.  The  chief  was  surprised  and  exasper- 
ated, and  on  this  occasion,  his  feelings  completely  controlled  his  judgment  for  a 
moment.  When  he  met  Lee,  he  exclaimed  in  fierce  tones,  *'  What  is  the  meaning 
ofallthis,  sur?" 

Lee  hesitated  a  moment,  when,  according  to  Lafayette,  the  aspect  of  Washington 
became  terrible,  and  he  again  demanded — "I  desire  to  know  the  meaning  of  this 
disorder  and  confusion  I" 

The  fiery  Lee,  stung  by  Washington's  manner,  made  an  angry  reply,  when  the 
chief,  unable  to  control  himself,  called  him  "a  damned  poltroon."  "This,"  said 
Lafayette,  when  relating  the  circumstance  to  Qovemor  Tompkins,  in  1824,  while  on 
his  visit  to  this  country,  "  was  the  only  time  I  ever  heard  General  Washington  swear." 

Leo  attempted  a  hurried  explanation,  and  after  a  few  more  angry  words  between 


BATTLE  OF  MONMOUTH.  210 

of  the  chief  was  for  Major-General  Lee,  who  commanded 
the  advance,  and  who  soon  appeared,  when  a  warm  con- 
versation ensued,  that  ended  by  the  major-general  being 
ordered  to  the  rear.  During  this  interview,  an  incident 
of  rare  and  chivabic  interest  occurred.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Hamilton,  aid  to  the  general-in-chief,  leaped  from 
his  horse,  and,  drawing  his  sword,  addressed  the  general 
with — "  We  are  betrayed ;  your  excellency  and  the  army 
are  betrayed,  and  the  moment  has  arrived  when  every 
true  friend  of  America  and  her  cause  must  be  ready  to  die 
in  their  defence."*  Washington,  charmed  with  the  gen- 
erous enthusiasm  of  his  favorite  aid,  yet  deemed  the  same 
ill-timed,  and  pointing  to  the  colonel's  horse  that  was 
cropping  the  herbage,  unconscious  of  the  great  scene  en- 
acting around  him,  calmly  observed,  "  Colonel  Hamilton, 
you  will  take  your  horse." 

The  general-in-chief  now  set  himself  in  earnest  about 
restoring  the  fortunes  of  the  day.  He  ordered  Colonel 
Stewart  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Bamsay,  with  their  regi- 
ments, to  check  the  advance  of  the  enemy,  which  service 
was  gallantly  performed ;  while  the  general,  in  person, 
proceeded  to  form  his  second  line.  He  rode,  on  the 
morning  of  the  twenty-eighth  of  June,  and  for  that  time 

them,  Washington  departed  to  form  his  line.  Then  riding  back  to  Lee  in  calmer 
mind,  he  said,  "  Will  yoa  retain  the  command  on  this  height  or  not  1  If  jon  will,  I 
will  retnm  to  the  main  body,  and  have  it  formed  on  the  next  hdght." 

Lee  replied,  "  It  is  equal  to  me  where  I  command." 

'*  I  expect  70a  will  take  proper  means  for  checking  the  enemy,"  said  Washington. 

"  Tour  orders  shall  be  obeyed,"  rgoined  Lee;  "and  I  shall  not  be  the  first  to 
leave  the  ground." 

After  the  battle,  Lee  wrote  insulting  letters  to  Washington.  He  was  arraigned 
before  a  oonr^martial,  because  of  his  conduct  on  the  twenty-eighth,  and  was  sus- 
pended from  all  command,  for  one  year. 

*  This  is  explained  in  a  future  chapter  of  these  RtcallecHons,  which  is  entitled, 
'  Mysteries  of  the  Revolution." 


220  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

only  during  the  war,  a  white  charger,  that  had  been  pre- 
sented to  him.*  From  the  over^powering  heat  of  the 
day,  and  the  deep  and  sandy  nature  of  the  soil,  the 
spirited  horse  sank  under  his  rider,  and  expired  on  the 
spot  The  chief  was  instantly  remounted  upon  a  chest- 
nut blood-mare,  with  a  flowing  mane  and  tail,  of  Arabian 
breed,  which  his  servant  Billy  was  leading.  It  was 
upon  this  beautiful  animal,  covered  with  foam,  that  the 
American  general  flew  along  the  line,  cheering  the  sol- 
diers in  the  familiar  and  endearing  language  ever  used 
by  the  officer  to  the  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  of  "  Stand 
fast,  my  hoysj  and  receive  your  enemy ;  the  southern  troops 
are  advancing  to  support  you." 

The  person  of  Washington,  always  graceful,  dignified, 
and  commanding,  showed  to  peculiar  advantage  when 
mounted ;  it  exhibited,  indeed,  the  very  beau  ideal  of  a 
perfect  cavalier.  The  good  Lafayette,  during  his  last 
visit  to  America,  delighted  to  discourse  of  the  ^Himes 
that  tried  men's  souls."f  From  the  venerated  friend  of 
our  country  we  derived  a  most  graphic  description  of 
Washington  and  the  field  of  battle.  Lafayette  said, 
"  At  Monmouth  I  commanded  a  division,  and,  it  may  be 
supposed,  I  was  pretty  well  occupied ;  still  I  took  time, 
amid  the  roax  and  confusion  of  the  conflict,  to  admire 
our  beloved  chief,  who,  moxmted  on  a  splendid  charger, 
rode  along  the  ranks  amid  the  shouts  of  the  soldiers, 

*  This  fine  horse  was  presented  to  Washington,  by  GoTemor  William  Livingston, 
of  New  Jersey,  after  the  chief  had  crossed  the  Delaware  into  his  state. 

t  This  now  trite  expression,  originated  with  Thomas  Paine,  author  of  Common 
Sense,  The  CrisiB,  etc.  He  commenced  his  second  number  of  The  Crms,  written  in 
December,  1776,  as  follows:  "These  abb  the  times  that  trt  men's  souls. 
The  summer  soldier  and  the  sunshine  patriot  will,  in  this  crisis,  shrink  from  the  ser- 
vice of  his  country;  but  ho  that  stands  it  now,  deserves  the  thanks  of  man  and 
woman." 


BATTLE  OF  MONMOUTH.  221 

cheering  them  by  his  voice  and  example,  and  restoring 
to  our  standard  the  fortunes  of  the  fight  I  thought 
then  as  now"  continued  Lafayette,  *  that  never  had  I 
beheld  so  superb  a  mom^ 

Among  the  incidents  of  this  memorable  day  may  be 
considered,  on  the  part  of  the  British,  the  death  of  the 
Honorable  Colonel  Monckton,  a  brother  of  Earl  Galway. 
It  is  said  this  gallant  and  accomplished  officer  had  greatly 
injured  his  fortune  by  the  dissipations  incident  to  a  long 
sojourn  in  city  quarters,  and  that^  in  consequence,  he  ex- 
posed himself  recklessly  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  June. 
He  was  mKich  regretted  in  the  British  army  * 

On  the  part  of  the  Americans,  the  fate  of  the  young 
and  brave  Captain  Faimtleroy,  of  the  Yirginia  line,  was 

*  The  flying  Americans  were  checked  by  Washington,  and  were  soon  formed  into 
battle  order,  and  led  into  action.  The  battle  became  general.  It  was  one  of  the  hottest 
days  on  record,  and  many,  on  both  sides,  died  from  the  effects  of  the  heat.  The 
British  grenadiers,  the  finest  corps  in  the  army,  were  commanded  by  Colonel 
Monckton.  They  had  been  repulsed  seTeral  times  by  Wayne,  and  Monckton  do- 
termined  to  drive  him  from  his  strong  position.  He  advanced  silently,  and  when 
near  enongh  for  the  purpose,  he  waved  his  sword,  shouting,  "  On  my  brave  grenadiers 
to  the  charge  1"  and  at  their  head  rushed  forward  with  impetuosity.  A  terrible 
volley  from  Wayne's  artillery  swept  the  ranks  of  the  foe,  and  Monckton  fell,  moHally 
wounded.  Over  his  body  the  warriors  fought  desperately,  until  the  Americans 
secured  it  and  bore  it  to  the  rear. 

Monckton  was  a  gallant  officer.  He  was  a  lieutenan^colonel  in  the  battle  of  Long 
Island,  where  he  was  shot  through  the  body.  On  the  day  after  the  battle  at  Mon- 
mouth, his  remains  were  deposited  in  the  burial-ground  of  the  Freehold  meeting- 
house, near  the  west  end  of  the  building.  The  only  monument  that  marked  his 
grave  a  few  years  ago,  when  I  visited  the  spot,  was  a  plain  board,  painted  red,  on 
which  were  drawn,  in  black  letters,  the  words : — 

**HIO  JACET. 

COL.  MONCKTON, 

KHXED,  88  JUKE, 

W.  E.  W.»' 

This  was  erected  by  a  worthy  Scotch  schoolmaster,  named  William  B.  Wilson. 
An  engraving  of  it,  and  also  of  the  meetinghouse,  may  be  found  in  Lossing's  Fidd* 
Bock  of  the.  Revolution, 


222  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

remarkable.  He  was  on  horseback,  at  a  well  near  a  farm- 
house, waiving  his  tmn,  while  the  fainting  soldiers,  con- 
smned  by  a  thirst  arising  from  their  exertions  on  the 
hottest  day  supposed  ever  to  have  occurred  in  America, 
were  rushing  with  frantic  cries,  to  the  well,  imploring 
for  water.  The  captain,  with  the  point  of  his  sword  rest- 
ing on  his  boot,  his  arm  leaning  on  the  pommeL  con- 
tinued to  waive  his  turn,  when  a  cannon-shot^  boimding 
down  the  lane  that  led  to  the  farmhouse,  struck  the  un- 
fortunate  officer  near  the  hip,  and  hurled  him  to  the 
ground  a  lifeless  corse.  The  lamented  Fauntleroy  was 
descended  from  one  of  the  old  and  highly-respected  fami- 
lies of  Virginia.  Leaving  the  comforts  of  home  and  the 
delights  of  a  large  circle  of  friends,  this  gallant  young 
soldier  repaired  to  the  standard  of  his  country  early  in 
the  campaign  of  1776.  He  was  greatly  respected  in  his 
grade,  and  his  untimely  fate  was  deeply  mourned  in  the 
American  army. 

Heedless  of  the  remonstrances  and  entreaties  of  his 
officers,  the  commander-in-chief  exposed  his  person  to 
every  danger  throughout  the  action  of  the  twenty-eighth 
of  June.  The.  night  before  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  a 
party  of  the  general  officers  assembled,  and  resolved  upon 
a  memorial  to  the  chief,  praying  that  he  would  not  ex- 
pose his  person  in  the  approaching  conflict  His  high 
and  chivalric  daring  and  contempt  for  danger  at  the 
battle  of  Princeton,  and  again  at  Germantown,  where  his 
officers  seized  the  bridle  of  his  horse,  made  his  friends 
the  more  anxious  for  the  preservation  of  a  life  so  dear  to 
all,  and  so  truly  important  to  the  success  of  the  common 
cause.  It  was  determined  that  the  memorial  should  be 
presented  by  Doctor  Craik,  the  companion-in-arms  of 


BATTLE   OF   MONMOUTH.  223 

\ 

Colonel  Washington  in  the  war  of  1755 ;  but  Craik  at 
once  assured  the  memorialists  that,  while  their  petition 
would  be  received  as  a  proof  of  their  affectionate  regard 
for  their  general's  safety,  it  would  not  weigh  a  feather 
in  preventing  the  exposure  of  his  person,  should  the  day 
go  against  them,  and  the  presence  of  the  chief  become 
important  at  the  post  of  danger.  Doctor  Craik  then  re- 
lated the  romantic  and  imposing  incident  of  the  old 
Indian's  prophecy,  as  it  occurred  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio  in  1770,  observing  that,  bred,  as  he  himself  was,  in 
the  rigid  discipline  of  the  Kirk  of  Scotland,  he  possessed 
as  little  superstition  as  any  one,  but  that  really  there 
was  a  something  in  the  air  and  manner  of  an  old  savage 
chief  delivering  his  oracle  amid  the  depths  of  the  forest, 
that  time  or  circumstance  would  never  erase  from  his 
memory,  and  that  he  believed  with  the  tawny  prophet 
of  the  wilderness,  that  their  beloved  Washington  was  the 
spirit-protected  being  described  by  the  savage,  that  the 
enemy  could  not  kill  him,  and  that  while  he  lived  the 
glorious  cause  of  American  Independence  would  never 
die.* 

On  the  followiQg  day,  while  the  commander-in-chief, 
attended  by  his  officers,  were  reconnoitring  the  enemy 
from  an  elevated  part  of  the  field,  a  round-shot  from  the 
British  artillery  struck  but  a  little  way  from  his  horse's 
feet,  throwing  up  the  earth  over  his  person,  and  then 
bounding  harmlessly  away.  The  Baron  Steuben,  shrug- 
ging up  his  shoulders,  exclaimed,  ^  Dat  wash  very  near," 
while  Doctor  Craik,  pleased  with  this  confirmation  of  his 
faith  in  the  Indian's  prophecy,  nodded  to  the  officers  who 
composed  the  party  of  the  preceding  evening,  and  then, 

♦  See  chapter  enUtled,  "  Indian  Prophecy." 


224  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

pointing  to  Heaven,  seemed  to  say,  in  the  words  of  the 
savage  prophet,  "  The  Great  Spirit  protects  him ;  he  can 
not  die  in  battle." 

A  ludicrous  occurrence  varied  the  incidents  of  the 
twenty-eighth  of  June.  The  servants  of  the  general 
ofl&cers  were  usually  well-armed  and  mounted.  Will 
Lee,  or  Billy,  the  former  himtsman,  and  favorite  body- 
servant  of  the  chief,  a  square  muscular  figure,  and  capital 
horseman,  paraded  a  corps  of  valets,  and,  riding  pomp- 
ously at  their  head,  proceeded  to  an  eminence  crowned 
by  a  large  sycamore-tree,  from  whence  could  be  seen  an 
extensive  portion  of  the  field  of  battle.  Here  Billy 
halted,  and,  having  unslung  the  large  telescope  that  he 
always  carried  in  a  leathern  case,  with  a  martial  air  ap- 
plied it  to  his  eye,  and  reconnoitred  the  enemy.*  Wash- 
ington having  observed  these  manoeuvres  of  the  corps 
of  valets,  pointed  them  out  to  his  officers,  observing, 
"See  those  fellows  collecting  on  yonder  height;  the 
enemy  will  fire  on  them  to  a  certainty."  Meanwhile 
the  British  were  not  unmindful  of  the  assemblage  on  the 
height,  and  perceiving  a  burly  figure  well-moxmted,  and 
with  a  telescope  in  hand,  they  determined  to  pay  their 
respects  to  the  group.  A  shot  fi-om  a  six-pounder  passed 
through  the  tree,  cutting  away  the  limbs,  and  producing 
a  scampering  among  the  corps  of  valets,  that  caused  even 
the  grave  countenance  of  the  general-in-chief  to  relax 
into  a  smile. 

Nor  must  we  omit,  among  our  incidents  of  the  battle 
of  Monmouth,  to  mention  the  achievement  of  the  famed 
Captain  Molly,  a  nom  de  guerre  given  to  the  wife  of  a 

*  The  telescope  is  in  possession  (1859)  of  the  Washington  family,  and  has  always 
been  a  conspicnoos  object  npon  the  wall  of  the  great  passage  at  Mount  Vernon. 


BATTLE   Of  MONMOUTH.  225 

matross  in  Proctor's  artillery.  At  one  of  the  gnns  of 
Proctor's  battery,  six  men  had  been  killed  or  woimded. 
It  was  deemed  an  unlucky  gun,  and  murmurs  arose  that 
it  should  be  drawn  back  and  abandoned.  At  this  juncture, 
while  Captain  Molly  was  serving  some  water  for  the  re- 
freshment of  the  men,  her  husband  received  a  shot  in  the 
head,  and  fell  lifeless  imder  the  wheels  of  the  piece.  The 
heroine  threw  down  the  pail  of  water,  and  crying  to  her 
dead  consort^ "  Lie  there  my  darling  while  I  revenge  ye," 
grasped  the  ramrod  the  lifeless  hand  of  the  poor  fellow 
had  just  relinquished,  sent  home  the  charge,  and  called 
to  the  matrosses  to  prime  and  fire.  It  was  done.  Then 
entering  the  sponge  into  the  smoking  muzzle  of  the  can- 
non, the  heroine  performed  to  admiration  the  duties  of 
the  most  expert  artilleryman,  while  loud  shouts  from  the 
soldiers  rang  along  the  line.  The  doomed  gun  was  no 
longer  deemed  imlucky,  and  the  fire  of  the  battery  be- 
came more  vivid  than  ever.  The  Amazonian  fair  one 
kept  to  her  post  till  night  closed  the  action,  when  she 
was  introduced  to  General  Greene,  who,  complimenting 
her  upon  her  courage  and  conduct^  the  next  morning 
presented  her  to  the  commander-in-chief  Washington 
received  her  graciously,  gave  her  a  piece  of  gold,  and  as- 
sured her  that  her  services  should  not  be  forgotten. 

This  remarkable  and  intrepid  woman  survived  the 
Revolution,  never  for  an  instant  laying  aside  the  appella- 
tion she  had  so  nobly  won,  and  levying  contributions 
upon  both  civil  and  military,  whenever  she  recounted  the 
tale  of  the  doomed  gun,  and  the  famed  Captain  Molly  at 
the  battie  of  Monmouth.*^ 

*  Moll  J  was  a  stardy  yoang  camp-follower,  only  twenty-two  yean  of  age,  and,  in 
devotion  to  her  husband,  she  illustrated  the  character  of  her  coantrywomen  of  "the 

15 


226  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

On  the  night  of  the  memorable  conflict,  Washington 
laid  down  in  his  cloak  under  a  tree^  in  the  midst  of  his 
brave  soldiers.  About  midnight^  an  officer  approached 
cautiously,  fearful  of  awakening  him,  when  the  chief 
called  out,  "  Advance,  sir,  and  deliver  your  errand.  I  he 
here  to  think  and  not  to  %leepr 

In  the  morning  the  American  army  prepared  to  renew 
the  conflict,  but  the  enemy  had  retired  during  the  night, 
leaving  their  dead  and  many  of  their  wounded  to  the 
care  of  the  victors.*    Morgan's  mountaineers  pursued  on 

Emerald  isle."  When  her  husband  fell,  and  there  appeared  to  be  no  one  to  take  his 
place  at  the  gun,  the  officer  in  command  ordered  it  to  be  removed.  Then  she  took 
her  husband's  place,  as  related  in  the  text.  Washington  conferred  upon  her  the 
commission  of  a  sergeant,  which  her  husband  held,  and  by  his  recommendation  her 
name  was  placed  upon  the  1  ist  of  half-pay  officers,  for  life.  Sergeant  Molly  left  the  army 
soon  after  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  and  made  her  abode  in  the  Hudson  Highlands, 
near  Fort  Clinton,  where,  during  the  attack  upon  that  fortress  the  previous  antnmn, 
she  had  displayed  her  heroism.  She  was  there  with  her  husband.  When  the  British 
scaled  the  ramparts,  he  dropped  his  match  and  fled.  Molly  caught  it  up,  touched 
off  the  piece,  and  then  scampered  away  with  the  rest  of  the  garrison.  She  fired  the 
last  gun  at  Fort  Clinton.  The  venerable  widow  of  General  Hamilton  told  me  that 
she  had  often  seen  Sergeant  Molly,  who  was  generally  called  captain.  She  described 
her  as  a  stout,  red-haired,  freckled-faced  young  Irish  woman,  with  a  handsome, 
piordng  eye.  The  French  officers,  charmed  with  the  story  of  her  bravery,  made  her 
many  presents.  She  would  sometimes  pass  along  the  French  lines,  when  they  were 
in  Westchester  county,  with  her  cocked  hat,  and  get  it  almost  filled  with  silver 
crowns.  She  wore  a  hybrid  costume  after  the  war —  the  petticoat  of  her  sex,  with 
an  artilleryman's  uniform  over  it.  This  woman  died  near  Fort  Montgomery,  a 
victim  to  the  indulgence  of  licentiousness.  Art  and  Romance  have  confounded  her 
with  another  character,  Moll  Pitcher. 

*  Sir  Henry  Clinton  dared  not  risk  another  engagement.  Both  parties  lay  upon 
their  arms  during  the  evening  after  the  battle.  The  Americans  slept  until  morning; 
but  the  British  commenced  moving  silently  away  from  the  field  at  midnight.  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  was  unwilling  to  give  the  impression  that  he  made  the  movement  by 
stealth,  so  he  wrote  to  the  ministry,  saying,  "Having  reposed  the  troops  until  ten  at 
night,  to  avoid  the  excessive  heat  of  the  day,  /  took  advantage  of  the  moonlight  to  re- 
join General  Knyphansen,  who  had  advanced  to  Nut  swamp,  near  Middletown." 
This  assertion  caused  much  merriment  in  America,  because,  according  to  Poor 
Will's  Almanac,  published  in  Philadelphia  by  Joseph  Cruikshank,  it  was  new  moon 
on  the  twenty-fourth  of  June,  and  on  the  night  of  the  battle  was  only  four  days  old 


BATTLE  OF  MONMOUTH.  227 

their  trail,  and  made  some  captures,  particularly  the 
coach  of  a  general  officer. 

The  British  grand  army  embarked  for  Staten  Island. 
The  number,  order,  and  regularity  of  the  boats,  and  the 
splendid  appearance  of  the  troops,  rendered  this  embark- 
ation one  of  the  most  brilliant  and  imposing  spectacles 
of  the  Revolutionary  war.* 

Congress  passed  a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks  to  the 
general-in-chie^  his  officers  and  soldiers,  for  the  prompt- 

and  set  at  fifty-firo  minates  ptst  ten.  Tramball,  in  his  M^Fingcd,  thns  allades  to 
the  circumstance : — 

"  He  forms  his  camp  with  great  parade, 
While  evening  spreads  the  world  in  shade. 
Then  still,  like  some  endangered  spark, 
Steals  off  on  tiptoe  in  the  dark  ; 
Yet  writes  his  king  in  boasting  tone. 
How  gr&nd  he  marched  by  light  of  moon  I 


Go  on,  great  general,  nor  regard 
The  scoffs  of  every  scribbling  bard. 
Who  sings  how  gods,  that  fearful  night. 
Aided,  by  miracle,  yoar  flight; 
As  once  they  used  in  Homer's  day. 
To  help  weak  heroes  mn  away; 
Tells  how  the  hoars,  at  this  sad  trial. 
Went  back,  as  erst  on  Ahaz's  dial. 
While  British  Joshua  stayed  the  moon 
On  Monmouth's  plain  for  Ajalon. 
Heed  not  their  sneers  or  gibes  so  arch. 
Because  she  set  before  your  march." 

*  The  Americans  were  ignorant  of  the  departure  of  the  enemy  until  dawn,  when 
they  were  three  hours  on  their  way  toward  the  shore.  Washington  considered  pur- 
suit to  be  fruitless,  for  his  men  wore  greatly  fatigued,  the  heat  was  excessive,  the 
soil  was  loose  sand,  and  very  little  water  could  be  found.  Earl  Howe's  fleet  was 
then  lying  in  the  waters  between  Staten  Island  and  Sandy  Hook,  and  on  board  of 
these  vessels  Sir  Henry's  troops  were  conveyed  in  boats  from  the  latter  port,  on  the 
thirtieth,  and  he  escaped  to  New  York.  Washington  marched  his  army  to  Bruns- 
wick, and  thence  to  the  Hudson  river,  which  he  crossed  at  King's  ferry,  just  below 
the  Highlands,  and  encamped  near  White  Plains,  in  Westchester  county. 


228  KECOIiLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

ness  of  their  march  fix)m  Valley  Forge,  and  their  surprise 
and  defeat  of  the  enemy ;  and  9^ feu  dejaie  was  fired  by  the 
whole  American  army  for  the  victory  of  Monmouth  * 

#  On  the  seventh  of  Jaly,  the  continental  Congress  adopted  the  following  resola- 
tions : — 

"  Resolved  unanimoudy,  That  the  thanks  of  Congress  be  given  to  General  Washing- 
ton for  the  activity  with  which  he  marched  ftx>m  the  camp  at  Valley  Foige  in  par- 
snit  of  the  enemy ;  for  his  dbtinguishcd  exertions  in  forming  the  line  of  battle ;  and 
for  his  great  good  conduct  in  leading  on  the  attack  and  gaining  the  important  victory 
of  Monmouth  over  the  British  grand  army,  under  the  command  of  General  Sir  Henry 
Clinton,  in  their  march  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York. 

"  Retolved,  That  General  Washington  be  directed  to  signify  the  thanks  of  Congress 
to  the  gallant  officers  and  men  under  his  command,  who  distinguished  themselves 
by  their  conduct  and  valor  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth." 


SUBBENDEB  AT  TOBKTOWN.  229 


CHAPTER  VL 

THE   SUBBENDEB  AT  TOBKTOWN. 
Dx  Obabsb  bzpbctxd  fbom  ths  Wz8t  iKDxn— lNTK2n>xD  Attack  vpoh  Naw  Yobx— Tm 

EnTKEflUM    ABASBOmD  — MaBOH    OF   TXDB    AllJXD    ABXIKS    FOX    YnOXXZA  — SZB    HZKBT 

OxjoraoH  Axa>  Lobd  Cobhwalld— Wabhzxotoh'B  xxtbboxptbd  Lstteb— Axbxtal  of 
Coinrr  db  Obabsb— Lafatxttb'B  Obkbbosxtt— WAsmiroTON  avd  Coinrr  db  Boosambxait 
zx  YxBGnrxA— YniT  to  tub  Yillx  px  Pabxb— Ahxodotx  — Axticxfatxd  Txoublx— 
Natal  Battlx— Appboaou  of  Alxjbd  Tboops  to  Yobxtowx— Tm  Szxqx  of  Yoxk« 

TOWX  — iNGXSBXTfl  OF  TUB   BiBOB  —  WaBHXXOTOH    BZPOBBD  TO  DaNOEB  — A  B0L1>XXB*B  AP- 

pBAi. — Patbiotbk  of  Ootxxnox  Nxlboh — CoBXWALUB'ft  Hbadqvabtxbs —Foolish  Dax- 
ixo  OF  AX  Officbb— Nbws  of  tbb  Bvbbbxsbb  of  Oobxwallu  — Cobxwallib's  Attxxpt 

TO  ESOAPB- ThB  SUBBBITDBB  OF  TBB  BbITIBH  ABXT  —  WaSHIXOTON^B  WAX-XOBSB  —  CoBX* 

-VALUS  AT  Washxxotok^  Tablb  —  Coloxbl  Tablxtox  Hvmxll/ltbd — Biokxbss  atYobk- 
TOWX— Dkatk  of  Johx  Pabkk  CuBTis— WABinxoTOx's  Obxbf  axd  EIixsxbbs.* 

The  campaign  of  1781  was  considerably  advanced, 
without  any  decided  advantages  to  the  combined  armies, 
when  the  chevalier  de  Barras,  the  commander  of  the 
French  naval  forces  at  Rhode  Island,*  announced  to  6en- 

*  This  chapter  was  first  published  in  the  NaHoncU  Intelligencer,  on  the  nineteenth 
of  October,  1840. 

t  On  the  sixth  of  Febmarjr,  1778,  France  formally  acknowledged  the  Indepen- 
dence of  the  United  States,  and  entered  into  an  alliance  with  them  by  solemn  treaty. 
A  French  fleet  was  immediately  fitted  oat  at  Toalon,  and  sent  to  aid  the  Americans, 
under  the  command  of  the  Count  D'Estaing.  His  performances  on  our  coasts  dis- 
appointed the  Americans.  The  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  then  serving  in  the  armies  of 
the  United  States,  procured  leave  of  absence  for  one  year,  returned  to  France,  and 
by  great  personal  efforts,  induced  the  king  to  send  a  much  more  powerful  and  sub- 
stantial aid  to  the  Americans,  in  the  form  of  a  strong  naval  and  military  force,  arms, 
ammunition,  and  money.  Admiral  de  Temay  was  appointed  commander  of  the 
fleet,  and  the  Count  de  Rochambeau  the  leader  of  the  land  forces.  The  French  fleet 
appeared  off  the  coasts  of  Virginia,  on  the  fourth  of  July,  1780,  and  on  the  evening 
of  the  tenth  entered  Newport  harbor.  There  the  fleet  and  army  retained  their  head- 
quarters until  the  following  year,  and  were  comparatively  inactive.    Admiral  Temay 


230  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

eral  Washington  that  the  Coimt  de  Grasse  would  sa3 
from  the  West  Indies,  with  a  powerful  fleet  and  three 
thousand  troops,  on  the  third  of  August,  and  might  be 
expected  in  the  Chesapeake  about  the  first  of  September. 
Upon  the  receipt  of  this  agreeable  intelligence,  the  allies 
lost  no  time  in  pre;paring  for  the  investiture  of  New 
York ;  the  Americans  approaching  gradually  toward  the 
city,  and  the  French  from  Newport,  the  two  armies 
forming  a  junction  at  Dobbs's  ferry,  on  the  Hudson.* 
Large  bodies  of  troops  were  moved  toward  Staten  Island, 
the  first  object  of  attack  ;f  extensive  magazines  were 
collected,  ovens  built,J  and  everything  indicating  that 
the  fleet  alone  was  wanting  to  commence  the  siege  in 
earnest,  when,  in  the  midst  of  these  demonstrations,  the 
combined  armies  suddenly  decamped,  and  masking  New 
York,  proceeded  in  full  march  for  the  South. 

The  reasons  that  induced  Washington  thus  to  change 
the  scene  of  his  operations  were,  some  of  them,  governed 

bad  died  soon  after  its  anriyal,  and  was  buried  with  distingaisbed  honon  in  Trinity 
churchyard,  at  Newport,  and  Admiral  de  Barras,  mentioned  in  the  text,  became  bis 
successor  in  the  command,  the  following  spring. 

*  Dobbs's  ferry  is  about  twenty-two  miles  from  the  city  of  New  York.  There  the 
combined  armies  of  the  United  States  and  France  first  met.  Washington,  hoping 
to  secure  the  co-operation  of  the  Count  de  Grasse,  with  a  French  fleet  then  in  the 
West  Indies,  had  conceived  a  plan  for  attacking  the  headquarters  of  the  British 
army  at  New  York.  He  held  an  interview  with  Rochambeau,  at  Hartford,  late  in 
May,  and  an  arrangement  was  made  for  the  French  army  to  march  to  Hudson's 
river  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  form  a  junction  with  the  Americans  encamped 
there.  Four  thousand  fresh  troops  were  soon  in  motion,  and  reached  the  Hudson, 
near  Dobbs's  ferry,  early  in  July. 

t  Staten  Island,  between  which  and  the  city  of  New  York,  is  the  fine  bay  and 
harbor  of  New  York,  was  an  important  point  in  the  programme  of  operations  against 
the  enemy.  There  many  of  the  British  troops  were  encamped,  and  its  heights  com- 
manded every  opening  to  the  sea. 

t  The  remains  of  these  ovens  were  to  be  seen  in  some  places  in  that  vicinity; 
until  within  a  very  recent  period. 


SUBRENPER  AT  TORKTOWN.  231 

by  circumstances  beyond  his  control,  especially  as  re- 
garded the  co-operation  of  the  French  naval  forces.  The 
Count  de  Grasse  preferred  the  Chesapeake  to  the  bay  of 
New  York,  as  being  better  suited  to  his  large  vessels, 
while  the  admiral,  being  limited  in  his  remaining  in  the 
American  waters  to  a  certain  and  an  early  day,  could 
most  conveniently  render  his  assistance  in  the  South  * 
This,  together  with  other  and  imposing  considerations, 
induced  the  American  general,  while  continuing  to 
threaten  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  to  strike  at  Comwallis  in 
Virginia.* 

Sir  Henry  Clinton,  aware  that  a  powerful  French  fleet 
was  destined  for  the  American  coast,  and  presuming  that, 
upon  its  arrival,  a  combined  attack  would  be  made  upon 
New  York,  ordered  Earl  Comwallis,  then  pursuing  his 
victorious  career  in  Virginia,  to  fall  down  upon  the  tide- 
water, and,  after  selecting  a  spot  where  he  could  con- 
veniently embark  a  part  of  his  troops  to  reinforce  his 

*  When  the  determination  of  the  Connt  de  Grasse  was  made  known  to  Washing- 
ton, he  was  sorely  disappointed,  for  the  recapture  of  New  York  seemed  to  be  cer- 
tainly promised,  if  the  admiral's  co-operation  could  be  had.  Washington  was  then 
at  the  honse  of  Van  Bmgh  Livingston,  at  Dobbs's  fenj,  and  Robert  Morris,  then 
loperintendent  of  finance,  and  Richard  Peters,  secretary  of  the  board  of  war,  were 
present  The  doad  of  disappointment  npon  Washington's  brow  remained  only  for 
a  moment  He  received  the  despatch  from  De  Barras,  mentioned  in  the  first  para- 
graph of  this  chapter,  and  he  instantly  conceived  an  expedition  against  Comwallis, 
in  Virginia.  Turning  to  Peters,  he  asked,  "  What  can  yon  do  for  me?" — "  With 
money,  everything,  without  it  nothing,"  was  his  brief  reply,  at  the  same  time  turning 
an  anxious  look  toward  Morris.  "  Let  me  know  the  sum  you  desire,"  said  the 
patriotic  financier,  comprehending  the  expression  of  his  eye.  Before  noon  Washing- 
ton had  completed  his  estimates,  and  arrangements  were  made  with  Morris  for  the 
funds.  Twenty  thousand  hard  dollars  were  loaned  from  Connt  de  Rochambean, 
which  Mr.  Morris  agreed  to  replace  by  the  first  of  October.  The  arrival  of  Colonel 
Laarens  from  France,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  August,  with  two  millions  and  a  half  of 
livres,  a  part  of  a  donation  of  six  millions  by  Louis  XIV.  to  the  United  States, 
enabled  the  superintendent  of  finance  to  fulfil  his  engagement,  without  difficulty. 


232  BECOLLECnONS  OF  WASHINOTON. 

commander-in-chief,  to  entrench  the  remainder,  and  await 
further  orders,*  But  the  sudden  and  unexpected  march 
of  the  combined  armies  to  the  South  entirely  changed 
the  aspects  of  military  affairs.  It  was  now  the  earl,  and 
not  Sir  Henry,  that  required  reinforcement^  and  Sir 
Henry  again  writing  to  his  lordship,  bade  him  strengthen 
his  position  at  Yorktown,  promising  him  the  immediate 
aid  of  both  land  and  naval  forces.f 

Meantime,  Washington  had  written  a  letter  to  the 
Marquis  de  Lafayette,  then  in  Virginia,  which  he  caused 

*  At  the  close  of  1780,  Benedict  Arnold,  the  trtitor,  was  in  the  senrice  of  hU 
royal  purchaser;  and  at  the  commencement  of  1781,  he  invaded  lower  Virginia  with 
about  sixteen  handred  British  and  Tory  troops.  He  penetrated  as  far  as  Peters* 
boi^h,  where  he  was  joined  by  Lord  Comwallis,  in  May.  The  earl  took  command 
of  all  the  British  forces  then  in  Virginia,  who  were  opposed  by  a  considerable  army 
under  Lafayette.  He  attempted  the  subjugation  of  the  state,  and  penetrated  the 
country  into  Hanover  county,  beyond  Richmond,  marking  his  pathway  with  the 
destruction  of  an  immense  amount  of  property,  public  and  private.  Two  other 
commanders  soon  appeared  in  the  field  against  him  —  Greneral  Wayne,  who  came 
from  victorious  fields  in  Geoi^ia,  and  the  Baron  von  Steuben.  Comwallis  soon 
found  himself  in  peril,  and  moved  slowly  down  the  peninsula,  between  the  York 
and  James  rivers,  followed  by  Lafayette,  Wayne,  and  Steuben. 

At  Williamsburg,  Comwallis  received  the  order  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton  alluded 
to  in  the  text,  and,  aware  that  he  would  be  too  weak  after  complying  with  it,  to 
withstand  the  Americans,  he  crossed  the  James  river,  at  old  Jamestown,  after  a  skir- 
mish with  the  republicans  under  Wayne,  and  proceeded  to  Portsmouth,  opposite 
Norfolk.  Disliking  that  situation,  he  went  to  Yorktown,  on  the  York  river,  and 
commenced  fortifying  that  place,  and  Gloucester  Point,  opposite. 

t  The  combined  armies,  after  remaining  about  six  weeks  at  Dobbs's  ferry,  crossed 
the  Hudson  at  Verplanck's  point,  and  under  the  general  command  of  Lincoln, 
marched  by  different  routes  toward  Trenton.  By  deceptive  military  movements, 
and  letters  that  were  intended  to  be  intercepted,  Washington  misled  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  with  the  belief  that  an  attack  upon  New  York  was  still  in  contemplation ; 
and  the  British  commander  was  not  undeceived  until  the  allied  armies  had  crossed 
the  Delaware,  and  were  far  on  their  way  toward  the  Head  of  Elk.  Clinton  endea- 
vored to  recall  the  republican  armies,  by  sending  Arnold  to  ravage  the  New  England 
coasts,  and  other  forces  to  menace  New  Jersey  and  tlie  Hudson  Highlands,  but  in 
vain.  The  allies  made  their  way  rapidly  toward  Virginia,  and  the  earl  implored 
aid  from  Sir  Henry. 


SUBKENDER  AT  YORETOWN.  233 

lo  be  intercepted.  In  the  letter  he  remarked  that  he 
was  pleased  with  the  probability  that  Earl  Comwallis 
would  fortify  either  Portsmouth  or  Old  Point  Comfort 
/^r,  were  he  to  fix  upon  Ynrktaum^  from  its  great  capabilities 
of  defence,  he  might  remain  there  snugly  and  unharmed, 
until  a  superior  British  fleet  would  relieve  him  with 
strong  reinforcements,  or  embark  him  altogether. 

This  fated  letter  quieted  the  apprehensions  of  the 
British  commander-in-chief  as  to  the  danger  of  his  lieu- 
tenant, and  produced  those  delays  in  the  operations  of 
Sir  Henry  that  tended  materially  to  the  success  of  the 
allies  and  the  surrender  of  Yorktown.* 

The  fleet  of  the  Count  de  Grasse,  consisting  of  twenty- 
eight  sail  of  the  line,  and  a  due  proportion  of  frigates, 
containing  three  thousand  veteran  troops  under  the 
Marquis  de  St.  Simon,  anchored  in  the  Chesapeake  on  the 
thirtieth  of  August.f    The  frigates  were  immediately 

*  Washington  wrote  other  similar  letters.  The  bearer  of  one  of  these  was  a  young 
Baptist  clergyman,  named  Montagnle,  an  ardent  whig,  who  was  directed  by  Wash- 
iBgton  to  carry  a  despatch  to  Morristown.  Ho  directed  the  messenger  to  cross  the 
riTer  at  King's  ferry,  proceed  by  Haverstraw  to  the  Ramapo  clove,  and  through  the 
pass  to  Morristown.  Montagnic,  knowing  the  Ramapo  pass  to  be  in  possession  of 
the  cow-boys  and  other  friends  of  the  enemy,  ventured  to  suggest  to  the  commander- 
in-chief  that  the  upper  road  would  be  the  safest  "  I  shall  be  taken,''  he  said,  "  if  I 
go  through  the  clove."  "  Tour  duty,  young  man,  is  not  to  talk,  but  to  obey  1"  re- 
plied Washington,  sternly,  enforcing  his  words  by  a  vigorous  stamp  of  his  foot. 
Montagnie  proceeded  as  directed,  and,  near  the  Ramapo  pass,  was  caught.  A  few 
days  afterward  he  was  sent  to  New  York,  where  he  was  confined  in  the  Sugar-House, 
one  of  the  famous  provost  prisons  in  the  city.  The  day  after  his  arrival,  the  con- 
tents of  the  despatches  taken  from  him  were  published  in  Rivington'a  Gazette  with 
great  parade,  for  they  indicated  a  plan  of  an  attack  upon  the  city.  The  enemy  was 
alarmed  thereby,  and  active  preparations  were  put  in  motion  for  receiving  the  be- 
siegers. Montagnie  now  perceived  why  he  was  so  positively  instructed  to  go  through 
the  Ramapo  pass,  where  himself  and  despatches  were  quite  sure  to  be  seized. — 
Lossing's  Udd'Book  of  the  Revolution,  i.  781,  note. 

t  Francois  Joseph  Paul,  Count  de  Grassc,  a  native  of  France,  was  bom  in  1793. 
He  was  appointed  to  command  a  French  fleet,  to  co-operate  with  the  Americans  at 
the  beginning  of  1 781 .    Although  he  was  the  junior,  in  service,  of  Count  de  Barras, 


234  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINOTOK. 

employed  in  convejdng  the  troops  up  the  James  river, 
where  they  were  landed,  and  reinforced  the  army  of  La- 
fayette, who  then  commanded  in  Virginia.  An  instance 
of  virtue  and  magnanimity  that  occurred  at  this  period 
of  our  narrative  adorns  the  fame  and  memory  of  La- 
fayette. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  French  land  and  naval  forces 
in  our  waters,  their  commanders  said  to  Lafayette: 
^  Now,  marquis,  now  is  your  time ;  a  wreath  of  never- 
fading  laurel  is  within  your  grasp !  Fame  bids  you  seize 
it.  With  the  veteran  regiments  of  St.  Simon,  and  your 
own  continentals,  you  have  five  thousand ;  to  these  add 
a  thousand  marines,  and  a  thousand  seamen,  to  be  landed 
from  the  fleet,  making  seven  thousand  good  soldiers, 
which,  with  your  militia^  give  you  an  aggregate  exceed- 
ing ten  thousand  men.  With  these,  storm  the  enemj^'s 
works  while  they  are  yet  in  an  mifinished  state,  and  be- 
fore the  arrival  of  the  combined  armies  you  will  end  the 
war,  and  acquire  an  immortal  renown/' — ^Believe  me, 
my  dear  sir,"  said  the  good  Lafayette,  during  his  visit  in 
America, "  this  was  a  most  tempting  proposal  to  a  young 
general  of  twenty-four,  and  who  was  not  unambitious  of 

he  was  made  his  superior  in  command,  with  the  title  of  lientenant-geneial.  His  oo> 
operation  was  much  more  valuable  to  the  Americans  than  that  of  D'Estaing;  and  in 
the  capture  of  Comwallts  and  his  army  at  Torktown,  he  played  a  very  important 
part.  His  domestic  relations  seem  to  have  been  very  unhappy,  his  second  wife, 
whom  he  married  after  leavini;  America,  proving  a  very  unworthy  woman.  His  life 
was  a  burden  to  him,  particularly  after  losing  the  favor  of  his  king  in  consequence 
of  an  unfortunate  military  movement.  He  died  early  in  1 788,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
five  years.  Alluding  to  the  unhappiness  of  his  latter  days,  Washington,  in  a  letter 
to  Rochambean,  April,  1788,  on  hearing  of  the  death  of  De  Grasse,  said,  "  His  frail- 
ties should  now  be  buried  in  the  grave  with  him,  while  his  name  will  be  long  de- 
servedly dear  to  this  country,  on  account  of  his  successful  co-operation  in  the  glori- 
ous campaign  of  1761.  The  Cincinnati  in  some  of  the  states  have  gone  into  mourn- 
ing for  him." 


8UEB£NI>KR  AT  TORKTOWN.  235 

&me  by  honest  means ;  but  insuperable  reasons  forbade 
me  from  listening  to  the  proposal  for  a  single  moment 
Our  beloved  general  had  intrusted  to  me  a  command  far 
above  my  deserts^  my  age,  or  experience  in  war.  From 
the  time  of  my  first  landing  in  America,  up  to  the  cam- 
paign of  1781, 1  had  enjoyed  the  attachment^  nay,  parent- 
al regards  of  the  matchless  chief  Could  I  then  dare  to 
attempt  to  pluck  a  leaf  from  the  laurel  that  was  soon  to 
bind  his  honored  brow — the  well-earned  reward  of  long 
years  of  toils,  anxieties,  and  battles  ?*  And  lajstly,  could 
I  have  been  assured  of  success  in  my  attack,  from  the 
known  courage  and  discipline  of  the  foe,  that  success 
must  have  been  attended  by  a  vast  efiusion  of  human 
blood." 

The  commander-in-chief,  accompanied  by  the  Count 
de  Eochambeau,  arrived  at  Williamsburg,*  the  head- 
quarters of  Lafayette,  on  the  fourteenth  of  September. 
The  general,  attended  by  a  numerous  suite  of  American 
and  French  officers,  repaired  to  Hampton,f  and  thence 
on  board  the  Vilk  de  Paris,  the  French  admiral's  ship, 
lying  at  anchor  in  the  chops  of  the  Capes,  to  pay  their 

*  The  allied  armies  made  their  way  slowly  southward.  For  want  of  sufficient 
vessels  at  the  Head  of  Elk,  where  they  expected  to  emhark  for  a  voyage  down 
the  Chesapeake,  a  greater  portion  of  the  troops  proceeded  by  land  to  Baltimore 
and  Annapolis.  Washington  and  his  saite,  accompanied  by  the  Connt  de  Rocham- 
bean,  and  the  Marquis  de  Chastellax,  reached  Baltimore  on  the  eighth,  Mount 
Vernon  on  the  tenth,  and  Williamsburg  on  the  evening  of  the  fourteenth.  That 
brief  visit  was  the  first  that  Washington  had  made  to  Mount  Vernon  since  the  spring 
of  1775,  when  he  left  for  Philadelphia,  as  a  delegate  to  the  continental  Congress. 

t  Hampton  is  near  Old  Point  Comfort,  at  the  mouth  of  the  James  river,  having 
in  front  one  of  the  finest  harbors  in  the  world,  called  Hampton  roads,  which  opens 
to  the  Chesapeake  bay.  Washington  and  his  party,  consisting  of  Lafayette,  Rocham- 
beau,  Knox,  Harrison,  Hamilton,  and  others,  sailed  for  the  VUU  de  Paris,  in  a  small 
vessel  called  the  Q^een  Charlotte,  and  arrived  on  board  on  the  eighteenth  of  Sep- 
tember. They  were  greeted  with  a  salute  of  thirteen  guns,  and  welcomed  to  an 
entertainment  prepared  in  haste,  but  with  great  taste. 


236  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  WASHINGTON. 

respects  to  the  Count  de  Grasse,  and  consult  with  him  as 
to  their  future  operations. 

On  the  American  chiefs  reaching  the  quarter-deck, 
the  admiral  flew  to  embrace  him,  imprinting  the  French 
salute  upon  each  cheek.  Hugging  him  in  his  arms,  he 
exclaimed,  ^  My  dear  Utile  general  T  De  Grasse  was  of 
lofty  stature ;  but  the  term  petit,  or  small,  when  applied 
to  the  majestic  and  commanding  person  of  Washington, 
produced  an  effect  upon  the  risible  faculties  of  all  present 
not  to  be  described.  The  Frenchmen,  governed  by  the 
rigid  etiquette  of  the  ancien  rigme,  controlled  their  mirth 
as  best  they  could;  but  our  own  jolly  Knox,  heedless 
of  all  rules,  laughed,  and  that  aloud,  till  his  fat  sides 
shook  again. 

Washington  returned  from  this  conference  by  no 
means  satisfied  with  its  result.  The  admiral  was  ex- 
tremely restless  at  anchor  while  his  enemy's  fleet  kept  the 
sea ;  and  having  orders  limiting  his  stay  in  the  American 
waters  to  a  certain  and  that  not  distant  day,  he  was  de- 
sirous of  putting  to  sea  to  block  up  the  enemjr's  fleet  in 
the  basin  of  New  York,  rather  than  to  run  the  risk  of 
being  himself  blockaded  in  the  bay  of  the  Chesapeake. 

Washington  urged  De  Grasse  to  remain,  because  his 
departure,  he  said,  "  by  affording  an  opening  for  the  suc- 
cor of  York,  which  the  enemy  would  instantly  avail 
themselves  of,  would  frustrate  our  brilliant  prospects; 
and  the  consequence  would  be,  not  only  the  disgrace 
and  loss  of  renouncing  an  enterprise,  upon  which  the 
fairest  expectations  of  the  allies  have  been  founded,  after 
the  most  expensive  preparations,  but  perhaps  disbanding 
the  whole  army  for  want  of  provisions." 

Washington  now  despatched  Lafayette  on  a  secret 


SURRENDER  AT  YORKTOWN.  237 

mission  to  the  count;  and  never^  in  the  whole  course 
of  the  Revolutionary  contest,  were  the  services  of  that 
Mend  of  America  of  more  value  to  her  cause  than  in  the 
present  instance. 

The  all-conunanding  influence  of  Lafayette  at  this 
period,  not  only  with  the  French  court,  of  which  he 
was  the  idol,  but  with  the  whole  people  of  France ;  his 
powerful  family  connections  with  the  high  noblesse,  par- 
ticularly the  distinguished  family  of  De  Noaillesj*  all 
these  considerations  enabled  Lafayette  to  throw  himself 
as  a  shield  between  the  Count  de  Grasse  and  any  blame 
that  might  be  attached  to  him  at  home  for  yielding  to 
the  views  and  wishes  of  the  American  chief 

The  marquis  prevailed,  and  he  soon  returned  to  head- 
quarters with  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  the  ad- 
miral had  consented  to  remain  at  his  anchors  (unless  a 
British  fleet  should  appear  off  the  capes),  and  would 
send  a  part  of  his  vessels  higher  up  the  bay,  the  better 
to  complete  the  investiture  of  Yorktown. 

The  fate  of  De  Grasse  and  the  VUle  de  Paris  is  well 
known  to  history.  That  magnificent  ship  was  a  present 
from  the  city  of  Paris  to  the  French  king.  She  rated 
one  hundred  and  ten  guns,  and  thirteen  himdred  men. 
It  is  said  that  on  her  arrival  in  the  Chesapeake, 
flowers  and  tropical  plants  were  interspersed  upon  her 
quarter-deck,  amid  the  engines  of  war ;  while  her  sides, 
covered  with  bright  varnish,  gave  to  this  superb  vessel  a 
most  brilliant  and  imposing  appearance.  On  the  memo- 
rable twelfth  of  April,  1782,  De  Grasse,  deserted  by  some 

*  Lafayette  married  the  Coontesse  Anastasie  de  Noailles,  daughter  of  the  Dake 
de  Noailles,  a  yoong  lady  possessed  of  an  immense  fortune  in  her  own  right.  The 
Duke  de  Noailles  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  influential  families 
in  France. 


238  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

of  his  captains,  his  own  ship  totally  dismasted,  a  large 
proportion  of  his  officers  and  crew  killed  or  wounded, 
nobly  maintained  the  imequal  contest,  and  refused  to 
yield  to  any  ship  carrying  less  than  an  admiral's  flag  * 
At  length  the  Barflewr  of  ninety-eight  guns.  Sir  Samuel 
Hood,  ranging  alongside,  the  colors  of  France  were 
lowered  on  the  poop  of  as  bravely-defended  a  vessel  as 
hath  adorned  the  annals  of  the  French  marine,  eithe;* 
before  or  since.  Let  those  who  would  put  their  trust  in 
princes,  mark  the  fate  of  gallant  De  Grasse.  When  he 
struck,  but  three  men  remained  alive  on  the  quarter- 
deck of  the  FtZfe  de  Paris^  one  of  whom  was  the  admiral ; 
yet,  on  his  return  to  his  native  country,  the  king,  whose 
colors  he  had  so  nobly  defended,  turned  with  coldness 
from  the  unfortunate  brave,  leaving  him  to  languish  in 
retirement  and  disgrace.  How  different  was  the  conduct 
of  the  enemies  of  De  Grasse,  the  English  sailors,  who,  on 
the  arrival  of  their  prisoner  at  Portsmouth,  hmted  him  on 
their  shoulders,  and  honoring  high  courage  in  misfortune, 
carried  him  in  triumph  to  his  lodgings,  bidding  him  adieu, 
with  three  hearty  cheers.  It  is  thus  the  brave  should 
honor  the  brave. 

On  the  fifth  of  September,  Admiral  Graves,  with  nine- 
teen sail-of-the-line,  appeared  off  the  capes  of  Virginia.f 

*  The  Ville  de  Paris  had  been  redaced  to  almost  a  wreck  by  the  Canada,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Comwallis,  brother  of  Lord  Comwallis,  who  seemed  determined 
to  avenge  his  kinsman's  fate  at  Torktown.  This  severe  naval  battle,  nndcr  the  gen- 
eral command  of  Admiral  Rodney,  occun*ed  in  the  West  Indies.  The  English  were 
victorious.  But  several  of  their  prizes  were  lost  in  hurricanes  that  ensued.  Four  of 
the  French  ships  captured  on  the  twelfth  of  April,  namely,  the  VUle  de  Paris,  Cen- 
taur, Glorieux,  and  Hector,  and  an  English-built  ship-of-the-linc,  the  RamilUes,  all 
foundered  at  sea  while  employed  in  giving  convoy  to  a  great  fleet  of  West  Indiamen. 

t  Admiral  Rodney,  commander  of  the  British  fleet  in  the  West  Indies,' aware  that 
De  Grasse  had  sailed  for  the  American  coast,  sent  Sir  Samuel  Hood  after  him  with 
mly  fourteen  sail,  not  suspecting  that  the  French  admiral  had  taken  his  whole  fleet 


SUBBSNDER  AT  YORKTOWN.  239 

Count  de  Grasse  immediately  slipped  his  cables,  and  put 
to  sea  with  twenty-four  line-of-battle  ships.  An  engage- 
ment ensued^  without  material  results  to  either  side,  and, 
after  four  days  of  manoeuvring,  the  French  fleet  returned 
to  its  former  anchorage,  the  British  bearing  away  for 
New  York* 

Meantime,  the  Chevalier  de  Barras  had  arrived,  with 
eight  sail-of-the-line,  bringing  a  battering-train,  and  an 
ample  supply  of  all  the  munitions  necessary  for  the  siege. 
These  were  speedily  landed  up  the  James  river,  and 
many  -delays  and  disappointments  occurred  in  their 
transportation  to  the  lines  before  Yorktown,  a  distance 
of  six  miles.  Long  trains  of  the  small  oxen  of  the  coun- 
try tugged  at  a  single  gun,  and  it  was  not  until  the  ar- 
rival of  the  better  teams  of  the  grand  army  that  much 
progress  could  be  made.f 

The  combined  armies,  arriving  at  the  Head  of  Elk,J 
embarked  a  portion  of  the  troops  in  transports ;  another 

to  the  shores  of  the  neighboring  continent.  Hood  arrived  at  Sandy  Hook  at  the 
dose  of  Angnst,  and  gave  Admiral  Graves,  then  lying  in  the  harbor  of  New  Yoik, 
with  five  ships-of-the-Une  prepared  for  service,  notice  of  the  destination  of  De  Grasse'a 
fleet.  On  the  same  day  information  reached  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  that  Admiral  de 
Barras  bad  sailed  from  Newport  for  the  Chesapeake,  with  a  considerable  squadron. 
Graves,  with  nineteen  sail,  departed  for  the  same  waters,  as  speedily  as  possible. 

*  This  naval  engagement  took  place  outside  the  capes  of  Viiginia,  upon  the  bosom 
of  the  broad  Atlantic.  The  engagement  was  partial.  The  hostile  fleets  were  within 
sight  of  each  other  for  flve  successive  days.  The  French  lost  in  the  action  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  men,  and  four  officers,  killed  and  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  Eng- 
lish was  ninety  killed  and  two  hundred  and  forty-six  wounded. 

t  Within  the  state-arsenal,  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  there  are  several  French  can- 
non, long,  and  highly  wrought,  and  some  of  them  a  hundred  years  old ;  also  two  or 
three  howitzers.  How  they  came  there  no  one  can  tell.  Old  people  remember  to 
have  seen  them  on  the  grounds  of  the  capitol  fifty  years  ago,  but  knew  not  how  tiiey 
eame  there.  They  were  probably  left  by  the  French  at  the  siege  of  Torktown,  and 
afterward  taken  up  the  river  to  Richmond. 

I  The  narrow  part  of  the  Chesapeake  bay,  at  it  head,  is  called  Elk  river,  and  where 
Elkton  now  stands,  was  Icnown,  at  that  time,  as  Head  of  Elk, 


240  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

portion  were  embarked  at  Baltimore;  while  tlie  re- 
mainder pursued  the  route  by  land  to  Virginia — the 
whole  rendezvousing  at  Williamsburg  * 

On  the  twenty-eighth  of  September  the  allies  moved 
in  four  columns,  in  order  of  battle,  and,  the  outposts  of 
the  enemy  being  driven  in,  the  first  parallel  was  com- 
menced. The  work  continued  with  such  diligence  that 
the  batteries  opened  on  the  night  of  the  ninth  of  October, 
and  a  tremendous  fire  of  shot  and  shells  continued  with- 
out interruption.  A  red-hot  shot  from  the  French,  who 
were  on  the  left,  fell  upon  the  GaudaJcupe  and  Charariy 
two  British  frigates.  The  latter,  of  forty-four  guns,  was 
consumed  together  with  three  transports.f 

The  defences  of  the  town  were  hourly  sinking  under 
the  efiects  of  the  cannonade  from  the  American  and 
French  batteries,  when,  on  the  night  of  the  fourteenth,  it 
was  determined  to  carry  the  two  British  redoubts  on  the 
south,  by  the  bayonet  For  this  service,  detachments 
were  detailed  from  both  the  American  and  French 
armies— the  former  under  the  command  of  Lieutenantr 
Colonel  Hamilton,  long  the  favorite  aid  of  the  commander- 

*  When  Washin^on  arrived  at  Williamsborg,  and  foand  both  the  French  fleets 
in  Chesapeake  bay,  he  sent  ten  transports  of  Do  Barras's  sqaadron  to  bring  oh  the 
allied  forces  from  Maryland.  The  last  division  of  the  allied  troops  reached  Williams- 
burg on  the  twenty-fifth  of  September. 

t  The  first  heavy  cannonade  and  bombardment  by  the  allied  forces  occurred  on 
the  tenth  of  October.  On  that  evening  the  vessels  mentioned  in  the  text,  were  set 
on  fire.  Three  laige  transports  were  consumed  at  the  same  time.  Doctor  Thacber 
in  his  journal,  page  274,  says,  "  From  the  bank  of  the  river  I  had  a  fine  view  of  this 
splendid  conflagration.  The  ships  were  enwrapped  in  a  torrent  of  fire,  which,  spread- 
ing with  vivid  brightness  among  the  combustible  rigging,  and  running  with  amaxiog 
rapidity  to  the  tops  of  the  several  masts,  while  all  around  was  thunder  and  lightning 
from  our  numerous  cannons  and  mortars,  and  in  the  darkness  of  night,  presented 
one  of  the  most  sublime  and  magnificent  spectacles  which  can  be  imagined.  Somo 
of  our  shells  over-reaching  the  town,  were  seen  to  fall  into  the  river,  and  bunting, 
threw  up  columns  of  water  like  the  spouting  of  the  monsters  of  the  deep." 


SUBRENDER  AT  TORKTOWN.  241 

inrchief,  but  now  restored  to  his  rank  and  duty  in  the 
line,*  and  the  latter  under  the  Baron  de  ViomeniL 

At  a  given  signal  the  detachments  advanced  to  the 
assault  As  the  Americans  were  mounting  the  redoubt, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Laurens,f  aid-de-camp  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chie^  appeared  suddenly  on  their  flank,  at  the 
head  of  two  companies.  Upon  Major  Fish|  hailing  him 
with,  ^  Why,  Laurens,  what  brought  you  here  ?"  the  hero 
replied,  ^^I  had  nothing  to  do  at  headquarters,  and  so 
came  here  to  see  what  you  all  were  about"  Bravest 
among  the  brave,  this  Bayard  of  his  age  and  country 
rushed  with  the  foremost  into  the  works,  making  with 
his  own  hand.  Major  Campbell,  the  British  commandant, 
a  prisoner-of-war.§  The  cry  of  the  Americans  as  they 
mounted  to  the  assault  was,  ^  Remember  New  London  " 
But  here,  as  at  Stony  Point,  notwithstanding  the  provo- 
cation to  retaliate  was  justified  by  the  inhuman  massa- 

*  In  the  preceding  Febraaiy  a  misnndentanding  occurred  between  Washington 
and  Hamilton.  The  latter,  feeling  .aggrieyed  at  some  words  of  censure  spoken  by 
his  general,  promptly  proposed  a  separation.  **  Very  well,  sir,"  said  Washington, 
"  if  it  be  your  choice."  But  within  an  hour  he  sent  an  aid  to  offer  Hamilton  the 
ollTe-branch  of  reconciliation.  But  the  young  officer,  who,  for  some  time,  had  been 
anxious  to  hold  a  more  independent  and  distinguished  part  in  the  army,  would 
not  listen  to  the  generous  overture,  and  from  that  time  he  was  separated  from  the 
generaVs  military  family,  but  not  from  his  friendship. 

t  John  Laurens,  son  of  Henry  Laurens,  who  was  president  of  the  continental 
Congress  in  1777.  He  was  one  of  the  most  gallant  young  men  in  the  army.  He 
was  sent  on  a  special  mission  to  France  early  in  1782,  to  solicit  a  loan  of  money  and 
to  procure  arms.  He  was  successful,  and  received  the  thanks  of  Congress.  He  did 
good  service  in  the  South  under  General  Greene,  and  was  killed  on  the  bank  of  the 
Combahee,  while  opposing  marauding  parties  of  the  British,  on  the  twenty-seventh 
of  August,  1782,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years. 

X  Major  Nicholas  Fish,  of  the  New  York  line,  and  father  of  Honorable  Hamilton 
Fish,  late  governor  of  the  state  of  New  York. 

\  Major  Campbell,  several  inferior  officers,  and  seventeen  privates,  were  made 
prisoners.  This  redoubt  was  on  the  bank  of  the  York  river.  The  mounds  were 
%nite  prominent  when  I  visited  the  spot  in  the  winter  of  1848-9. 

16 


242  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINOTON. 

ores  of  Paoli  and  Fort  Griswold,  mercy,  divine  mercy, 
perched  triumphant  on  our  country's  colors  * 

Washington,  during  ihe  whole  of  the  siege,  continued 
to  expose  himself  to  every  danger.  It  was  in  vain  his 
officers  remonstrated.  It  was  in  vain  that  Colonel  Cobb, 
his  aid-de-camp,  entreated  him  to  come  down  fiK>m  a 
parapet,  whence  he  was  reconnoitring  the  enemy's  works, 
the  shot  and  shells  flying  thickly  around,  and  an  officer 
of  the  New  England  line  killed  within  a  very  few  yarda 
During  one  of  his  visits  to  the  main  battery,  a  soldier  of 
Colonel  Lamb's  artilleryf  had  his  leg  shattered  by  the 

*  We  have  already  observed  that  Arnold  was  sent  to  ravage  the  New  England 
coasts,  ia  order  to  draw  the  combined  armies  back  from  their  march  toward  Vii^iaia. 
On  the  morning  of  the  sixth  of  September,  1781,  Arnold,  with  a  considerable  force, 
consisting  mostly  of  tones  and  Hessians,  landed  upon  the  shores  of  the  Thames,  be- 
low New  London.  They  landed  in  two  divisions,  the  one  on  the  New  London  side 
being  commanded  by  Arnold  in  person.  He  proceeded  to  lay  New  London  in  ashes, 
while,  Nero-like,  he  stood  in  the  belfry  of  a  chnrch  and  watched  the  conflagration; 
and  from  that  elevated  point  he  could  almost  see  his  own  birthplace,  at  Norwich,  at 
the  head  of  the  river.  The  other  division,  under  one  of  Arnold's  subordinates,  at- 
tacked Fort  Griswold,  at  Groton,  on  the  opposite  shore,  and  murdered  Colonel  Led- 
yard  and  most  of  the  garrison  under  him,  in  cold  blood.  It  was  to  these  atrocities 
that  the  war-cry  alluded  to  referred.  Gordon  asserts,  that  Lafayette,  with  the  sanc- 
tion of  Washington,  ordered  the  assailants  to  ranember  Fort  Griswold^  and  put  every 
man  of  the  redoubt  to  death.  This  order,  so  repugnant  to  the  character  of  both 
Washington  and  Lafayette,  could  never  have  been  issued.  Colonel  Hamilton  after- 
ward publicly  denied  the  truth  of  the  allegation ;  so  also  did  Lafayette. 

t  Colonel  John  Lamb  was  one  of  the  most  meritorious  of  the  officers  of  the  artil- 
lery department  He  was  then  fifty  years  of  age,  and  had  been  one  of  the  earliest 
of  the  opposers  of  the  British  government  in  New  York,  who  bore  the  name  of  Lib* 
erty  Boys.  He  was  a  good  writer  and  fluent  speaker,  both  of  which  accomplishments 
he  brought  into  useful  requisition  when  the  troubles  with  Great  Britain  began.  In  all 
the  commotions  in  his  native  city  (New  York),  previous  to  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Revolution,  he  was  very  active ;  and  in  1775,  he  received  a  captain's  commission^in 
a  New  York  artillery  corps.  He  accompanied  Montgomery  to  Quebec,  Where,  in 
the  siege  of  that  city,  at  the  close  of  1775,  he  was  severely  wounded  and  made 
prisoner.  He  returned  to  New  York  the  ensuing  summer,  was  promoted  to  major, 
and  became  attached  to  the  artillery  regiment  under  Knox.  "From  that  time  ontil 
the  close  of  the  war  he  was  in  active  service,  when  the  army  was  in  the  field.    H« 


StTRRENDER  AT  TORKTOWN.  243 

explosion  of  a  shell.  As  they  were  bearing  him  to  the 
rear,  he  recognised  the  chief,  and  cried  out,  ^  God  bless 
your  excellency,  save  me  if  you  can,  for  I  have  been  a 
good  soldier,  and  served  xmder  you  during  the  whole 
war."  Sensibly  affected  by  the  brave  felloVs  appeal, 
the  general  immediately  ordered  him  to  the  particular 
care  of  Doctor  Craik.  It  was  too  late;  death  ter- 
minated his  sufferings  after  an  amputation  was  per- 
formed. 

At  this  period  of  the  siege  occurred  that  sublime  in- 
stance of  patriotism  which  we  have  recorded  in  another 
chapter,  when  Governor  Nelson  directed  the  heavy  shot 
and  bomb-shells  of  the  Americans  to  be  cast  upon  his 
own  fine  house,  in  order  to  dislodge  British  officers  who 
had  their  quarters  there. 

And  yet  how  many  and  how  endearing  recollections 
must  have  crowded  upon  the  patriot's  mind  as  he  thus 
consigned  his  ancient  domicil  to  destruction.  Erected 
by  his  forefathers,  it  was  around  its  hearths  that^  in  his 
childhood,  he  had  played  *  Beneath  its  roof  he  had 
reared  a  numerous  and  interesting  family,  and  passed  his 
better  days  in  dispensing  the  most  liberal  hospitality  to 
a  large  and  estimable  circle  of  relatives  and  jfriends  j  all, 
all  were  forgotten  as,  with  Roman  heroism,  he  bade  the 
batteries  direct  their  thunders  against  the  seat  of  his 
happiness  and  his  home. 

afterward  became  a  legislator  in  his  native  State ;  and  Washington,  when  he  became 
president  of  the  United  States,  appointed  him  collector  of  customs  at  the  port  of 
New  York.    He  held  that  office  nntil  his  death,  on  the  thirtj-first  of  May,  1800. 

*  In  an  old  barial-gronnd  at  Torktown,  are  the  remains  of  several  of  the  Nelson 
fiunily,  covered  by  fine  marble  monuments,  one  of  them  qaite  costly.  And  the 
itono  house,  battered  by  the  cannon  balls  during  the  siege,  is  yet  standing.  See 
biographical  sketch  of  Governor  Nelson  in  another  chapter. 


244  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASmNGTON. 

The  first  headquarters  of  Earl  Comwallis  were  in  the 
house  of  Mr.  Secretary  Nelson,  a  relative  of  the  gover- 
nor,  and  a  gentleman  attached  to  the  royal  cause.  It 
was  a  very  large  and  splendid  brick  mansion,  and  tower- 
ing above  the  ramparts,  afibrded  a  fine  mark  for  the 
American  artillery,  that  soon  riddled  it^  having  learned 
from  a  deserter  that  it  contained  the  British  headquar- 
ters. His  lordship  remamed  in  the  house  until  his  stew- 
ard was  killed  by  a  cannon-ball  while  carrying  a  tureen 
of  soup  to  his  master's  table. 

The  British  general  then  removed  his  headquarters 
to  the  house  of  Governor  Nelson,  and  finally  to  apart- 
ments excavated  in  the  bank  on  the  southern  extremity 
of  the  town,  where  two  rooms  were  wamscotted  with 
boards,  and  lined  with  baize,  for  his  accommodation.* 
It  was  in  that  cavernous  abode  that  the  earl  received  his 
last  letter  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  It  was  brought  by 
the  honorable  Colonel  Cochran,  who,  landing  from  an 
English  cutter  on  Cape  Charles,  procured  an  open  boat^ 
and  threading  his  way,  under  cover  of  a  fog,  through  the 
French  fleet,  arrived  safely,  and  delivered  his  despatches. 
They  contained  orders  for  the  earl  to  hold  out  to  the  last 
extremity,  assuring  him  that  a  force  of  seven  thousand 
men  would  be  immediately  embarked  for  his  relieCf 

*  No  traces  of  this  retreat  can  now  be  foand.  It  was  excarated  in  the  bank  of 
rock-marl  upon  which  the  village  of  Torktown  stands,  bat  has  disappeared  long  ago. 
Fall  a  quarter  of  a  mile  abore  the  spot,  there  is  an  excaration  in  the  same  bank,  to 
which  strangers  were  directed,  when  I  risited  Torktown  a  few  years  ago,  as  the  veri- 
table coancil-chamber  of  Cornwallis ;  bat  I  was  informed,  by  good  authority,  that 
the  cave  I  visited  was  made,  at  or  before  the  siege,  to  hide  valuables  in.  I  saw 
the  remains  of  a  house  that  had  stood  directly  in  front  of  it,  and  which  mast  have 
concealed  the  entrance  to  the  cavern. 

t  From  the  first,  Comwallis  appears  to  have  doubted  his  ability  to  maintain  his 
position  long.    When  he  first  saw  perils  gathering  thick  around  him^  the  French  fleet 


SURRENDER  AT  YORETOWN.  245 

While  taking  wine  with  his  lordship  after  dinner,  the 
gallant  colonel  proposed  that  he  should  go  up  to  the 
ramparts  and  take  a  look  at  the  Yankees,  and  upon  his 
return  give  Washington's  health  in  a  bumper.  He  was 
dissuaded  from  so  rash  a  proceeding  by  every  one  at  the 
table,  the  whole  of  the  works  being  at  that  time  in  so 
ruinous  a  state  that  shelter  could  be  had  nowhere.  The 
colonel  however  persisted,  and  gayly  observing  that  he 
would  leave  his  glass  as  his  representative  tiU  his  return, 
which  would  be  quickly,  away  he  went  Poor  fellow,  he 
did  return,  and  that  quickly,  but  he  was  borne  in  the 
arms  of  the  soldiers,  not  to  his  glass,  but  his  grave. 

For  a  great  distance  around  Torktown  the  earth  trem- 
bled under  the  cannonade,  while  many  an  anxious  and 
midnight  watcher  ascended  to  the  housetops  to  listen  to 
the  sound,  and  to  look  upon  the  horizon,  lighted  up  by 
the  blaze  of  the  batteries,  the  explosions  of  the  shells, 
and  the  flames  from  the  burning  vessels  in  the  harbor. 

At  length,  on  the  morning  of  the  seventeenth,  the 
thundering  ceased,  hour  after  hour  passed  away,  and  the 
most  attentive  ear  could  not  catch  another  sound.  What 
had  happened?  Can  Comwallis  have  escaped?  To 
suppose  he  had  fallen,  was  almost  too  much  to  hope  for. 
And  now  an  intense   anxiety  prevails:  every  eye  is 

approaching  on  one  hand,  and  the  allied  armies  on  the  other,  he  oonceired  a  plan  of 
escaping  into  North  Carolina;  but  the  rigilant  Lafayette  prevented  his  flight  He 
at  once  sent  a  message  to  Clinton  for  aid,  and  receired  the  replj  alladed  to  in  the 
text.  He  used  every  endeavor  to  delay,  first  his  offer  to  capitulate,  and  then  the 
signing  of  the  capitulation,  hoping  for  aid.  Washington,  suspecting  the  reason, 
would  suffer  no  delay,  and  on  the  very  day  when  the  capitulation  was  signed,  Clin- 
ton, with  seven  thousand  men,  left  New  York  for  the  Chesapeake,  convoyed  by 
twenty-six  ships  of  the  line,  under  Admiral  Digby.  This  armament  appeared  off 
the  capes  of  Virginia,  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  October;  but  receiving  unquestioi> 
able  intelligence  of  the  capitulation  at  Torktown,  Clinton  returned  to  New  York. 


246  RECOLLECTIONS   OF   WASHINGTON. 

turned  toward  the  great  southern  road,  and  ^  the  express ! 
the  express !"  is  upon  every  lip.  Each  hamlet  and  home- 
stead pours  forth  its  inmates.  Age  is  seen  leaning  on 
his  stafif;  women  with  infants  at  the  breast;  children  with 
wondering  eyes,  and  tiny  hands  outstretched — all,  all, 
with  breathless  hopes  and  fears,  await  the  courier's  com- 
ing. Ay,  and  the  courier  rode  with  a  red  spur  that  day ; 
but  had  he  been  mounted  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  he 
could  scarcely  have  kept  pace  with  the  general  anxiety. 

At  length  there  is  a  cry — ^  He  comes !  he  comes !"  and 
merging  from  a  cloud  of  dust,  a  horseman  is  seen  at 
headlong  speed.  He  plies  the  lash  and  spur;  covered 
with  foam,  with  throbbing  flank,  and  nostril  dilated  to 
catch  the  breeze,  the  generous  horse  devours  the  road, 
while  ever  and  anon  the  rider  waves  his  cap,  and  shouts 
to  the  eager  groups  that  crowd  his  way,  "  Comwallis  is 
taken!"* 

And  now  arose  a  joyous  cry  that  made  the  very  wel- 
kin tremble.  The  tories,  amazed  and  confounded,  shrunk 
away  to  their  holes  and  hiding-places,  while  the  patriotic 
whigs  rushed  into  each  other's  arms,  and  wept  for  glad- 
ness.    And  oh !  on  that  day  of  general  thanksgiving  and 

*  The  accomplished  Lieatenant-Colooel  Tilghman,  one  of  Washington's  aids, 
was  sent  to  Philadelphia  by  the  chief,  with  despatches  to  the  Congress,  announcing 
the  surrender  of  Comwallis.  He  arrived  there  in  the  night,  and  soon  the  watchmen 
of  the  city  were  calling  the  hoars,  with  the  suffix,  "and  Comwallis  is  taken  I'*  That 
annunciation  ringing  out  on  the  frosty  night-air,  aroused  thousands  from  their  slum- 
bers. Lights  were  soon  seen  moving  in  almost  every  house ;  and  presently  the  streets 
were  thronged  with  men  and  women,  all  eager  to  hear  the  details.  It  was  a  joyous 
night  for  Philadelphia.  The  old  state-house  bell  rang  oat  its  jubilant  notes  more 
than  an  hour  before  dawn,  and  the  first  blush  of  morning  was  greeted  with  the  boom- 
ing of  cannon.  The  Congress  assembled  at  an  early  hour,  when  Charles  Thomson 
read  Washington's  despatch,  and  then  they  resolved  to  go  in  procession  at  two 
o'clock  the  same  day,  to  a  temple  of  worship,  "  and  return  thanks  to  Almighty  God 
for  crowning  the  allied  armies  of  the  United  States  and  France  with  success." 


8UBBBNDEB  AT  TORETOWN.  247 

praise^  how  many  an  aspiration  ascended  to  the  Most 
High,  imploring  blessings  on  him  whom  aU  time  will  con- 
secrate as  the  Fathee  of  his  Country.  That  event  was 
indeed  the  crowning  glory  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution ; 
hostilities  languished  thereafter,  while  Independence  and 
empire  dawned  upon  the  destinies  of  America,  from  the 
surrender  at  Yorktown. 

After  a  jfruitless  attempt  to  escape,  in  which  the  ele- 
ments, as  at  Long  Island,  were  on  the  side  of  America 
and  her  cause,*  on  the  morning  of  the  seventeenth  Com- 
wallis  beat  a  parley.  Terms  were  arranged,  and,  on  the 
nineteenth,  the  British  army  laid  down  its  arms,f 

The  imposing  ceremony  took  place  at  two  o'clock. 
The  American  troops  were  drawn  up  on  the  right,  and 
the  French  on  the  left,  of  the  high  road  leading  to 
Hampton.  A  vast  crowd  of  persons  fix)m  the  adjoining 
country  attended  to  witness  the  ceremony.  J 

The  captive  army,  in  perfect  order,  marched  in  stem 

*  This  has  reference  to  the  fog  on  the  East  river  that  allowed  the  Americans  to 
retreat  from  Brooklyn,  unperceiyed  by  the  enemy,  after  the  disastroas  battle  near 
there  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  Angnst,  1776.  On  the  present  occasion,  a  storm  sud- 
denly arose,  and  prerented  Comwallis  and  his  troops  from  crossing  the  York  river 
to  Gloucester,  in  boats  which  had  been  prepared  for  the  purpose.  His  plan  was  to 
withdraw  in  that  way  from  Yorktown,  in  the  night,  by  rapid  marches  gain  the 
forks  of  the  Bappahannock  and  Potomac,  and  forcing  his  way  through  Maryland, 
Pennsylvania,  and  New  Jersey,  form  a  junction  with  the  British  army  under  Clinton, 
in  New  York. 

t  The  siege  had  continued  thirteen  days.  The  British  lost  during  the  siege  one 
hundred  and  fifty-six  killed,  three  hundred  and  twenty-six  wounded,  and  seventy 
missing.  The  whole  number  surrendered  by  capitulation  was  a  little  more  than 
seven  thousand.  Besides  these,  there  were  sailors,  negroes,  and  tories,  who  became 
prisoners,  making  the  whole  number  between  eleven  and  twelve  thousand. 

I  It  has  been  estimated  that  the  number  of  spectators  of  the  ceremony  of  sur- 
render, was  quite  equal  to  that  of  the  military.  Universal  silence  prevailed  as  the 
vanquished  troops  slowly  marched  out  of  their  intrenchments,  with  their  colors 
cased  and  their  drums  beating  a  British  tune,  and  passed  between  the  columns  of 
the  combined  armies. 


248  RECOLLECnONS   OF  WASHINQTON. 

and  solemn  silence  between  the  lines.  All  eyes  were 
turned  toward  the  head  of  the  advancing  colunm.  Com- 
wallis,  the  renowned,  the  dreaded  Comwallis,  was  the 
object  that  thousands  longed  to  behold.  He  did  not 
appear,  but  sent  his  sword  by  General  O'Hara,  with  an 
apology  for  his  non-appearance  on  account  of  indispo- 
sition. It  was  remarked  that  the  British  soldiers  looked 
only  toward  the  French  army  on  the  left,  whose  appear- 
ance was  assuredly  more  brilliant  than  that  of  the  Amer- 
icans, though  the  latter  were  respectable  in  both  their 
clothing  and  appointments,  while  their  admirable  dis- 
cipline and  the  hardy  and  veteran  appearance  of  both 
officers  and  men  showed  they  were  no  "  carpet  knights," 
but  soldiers  who  had  seen  service  and  were  inured  to 
war. 

Lafayette,  at  the  head  of  his  division,  observing  that 
the  captives  confined  their  admiration  exclusively  to  the 
French  army,  neglecting  his  darling  light-infantry,  the 
very  apple  of  his  eye  and  pride  of  his  hearty  determined 
to  bring  "  eyes  to  the  right"  He  ordered  his  music  to 
strike  up  Yankee  Doodle :  "Then,"  said  the  good  general, 
"  they  did  look  at  us,  my  dear  sir,  but  were  not  very  well 
pleased." 

When  ordered  to  ground  arms,  the  Hessian  was  con- 
tent. He  was  tired  of  the  war ;  his  pipe  and  his  patience 
pretty  well  exhausted,  he  longed  to  bid  adieu  to  toilsome 
marches,  battles,  and  the  heat  of  the  climate  that  con- 
sumed him.  Not  so  the  British  soldier;  many  threw 
their  arms  to  the  ground  in  sullen  despair.  One  fine 
veteran  fellow  displayed  a  soldierly  feeUng  that  excited 
the  admiration  of  all  around.  He  hugged  his  musket  to 
his     osom,  gazed  tenderly  on  it^  pressed  it  to  his  lips, 


BURRBNDER  AT  TORBLTOWN.  249 

then  threw  it  from  him,  and  marched  away  dissolved  in 
tears.* 

On  the  day  of  the  surrender,  the  commander-in-chief 
rode  his  favorite  and  splendid  charger,  named  Nelson,  a 
light  sorrel,  sixteen  hands  high,  with  white  fa^e  and  legs, 
and  remarkable  as  being  the  first  nicked  horse  seen  in 
America.  This  fiunous  charger  died  at  Mount  Vernon 
many  years  after  the  Revolution,  at  a  very  advanced 
age.  After  the  chief  had  ceased  to  mount  him,  he  was 
never  ridden,  but  grazed  in  a  paddock  in  summer,  and 
was  well  cared  for  in  winter ;  and  as  oft^n  as  the  retired 
fanner  of  Mount  Vernon  would  be  making  a  tour  of  his 
grounds,  he  would  halt  at  the  paddock,  when  the  old 
war-horse  would  run,  neighing,  to  the  fence,  proud  to  be 
caressed  by  the  great  master's  hands. 

The  day  after  the  surrender.  Earl  Comwallis  repaired 
to  headquarters  to  pay  his  respects  to  General  Washing- 
ton and  await  his  orders.  The  captive  chief  was  received 
with  all  the  courtesy  due  to  a  gallant  and  unfortunate 
foe.  The  elegant  manners,  together  with  the  manly, 
frank,  and  soldierly  bearing  of  Comwallis,  soon  made 
him  a  prime  favorite  at  headquarters,  and  he  often 
formed  part  of  the  suite  of  the  commander-in-chief  in  his 
rides  to  inspect  the  levelling  of  the  works  previous  to 

*  The  deliyering  of  the  colors  wis  one  of  the  most  painful  erents  of  the  snrrender, 
to  the  captiTes.  There  were  twenty-eight  of  them.  For  this  purpose,  twentjr-eight 
British  captains,  each  bearing  a  flag  in  a  case,  were  drawn  up  in  line.  Opposite 
to  diem,  at  a  distance  of  six  paces,  twenty-eight  American  seigeants  were  placed  to 
receive  the  colors,  and  an  ensign  was  appointed  by  Colonel  Hamilton,  the  officer  of 
the  day,  to  conduct  the  ceremony.  When  the  ensign  gare  an  order  for  the  captains 
to  advance  two  paces,  and  the  American  sergeants  to  advance  two  paces,  the  former 
hesitated,  saying  they  were  unwilling  to  surrender  their  flags  to  non-commissioned 
officers.  Hamilton,  sitting  upon  his  horse  at  a  distance,  observed  this  hesitation. 
He  rode  np,  and  when  informed  of  the  difficulty,  ordered  the  ensign  to  receive 
them  all  and  hand  them  over  to  the  sergeants. 


250  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

the  retirement  of  the  combined  armies  from  before  York- 
town* 

At  the  grand  dmner  given  at  the  headquarters  to  the 
officers  of  the  three  armies,  Washington  filled  his  glass, 
and,  after  his  invariable  toast,  whether  in  peace  or  war, 
of  ^  All  our  friends j'  gave  ^  The  British  Anhy,"  with  some 
complimentary  remarks  upon  its  chiei^  his  proud  career 
in  arms,  and  his  gallant  defence  of  Yorktown,  When  it 
came  to  Comwallis's  turn,  he  prefaced  his  toast  by  saying 
that  the  war  was  virtually  at  an  end,  and  the  contendiog 
parties  would  soon  embrace  sua  friends ;  there  might  be 
afiairs  of  posts,  but  nothing  on  a  more  enlarged  scale,  as 
it  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  the  ministry  would 
send  another  army  to  America.f    Then  turning  to  Wash- 

*  Torktown  was  cvacaated  by  conqnerors  and  captives,  within  a  fortnight  af^er  the 
sarrender.  Some  of  the  prisoners  were  marched  to  Winchester,  in  Vii^nia,  and 
some  to  Fort  Frederick  and  Fredericktown,  in  Maryland.  The  latter  were  finally 
removed  to  Lancaster,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  guarded  by  continental  troops.  Com- 
wallis  and  other  British  officers  went  by  sea  to  New  York,  on  parole.  Finally,  they 
were  all  exchanged. 

t  The  fall  of  Comwallis  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  British  ministry.  8It  N.  W. 
Wraxall,  in  his  Historical  Memoirs  of  his  Own  Times  (page  246),  has  left  an  interest- 
ing record  of  the  effect  of  the  news  of  the  surrender  of  Comwallis  upon  the  minds  of 
Lord  North  and  the  king.  The  intelligence  reached  the  cabinet  on  Sunday,  the 
twenty-fifth  of  November,  at  noon.  Wraxall  asked  Lord  George  Germain  how 
North  **  took  the  communication V* — "As  he  would  have  taken  a  cannon-ball  in  his 
breast,"  replied  Lord  George;  "for  he  opened  his  arms,  exclaiming  wildly,  as  he 
paced  np  and  down  the  apartment  during  a  few  minutes,  '  Oh  I  God,  it  is  all  over !' 
words  which  he  repeated  many  times,  under  emotions  of  the  deepest  oonstemation 
and  distress."  Lord  George  Germain  sent  off"  a  despatch  to  the  king,  who  was  then 
at  Kew.  The  king  wrote  a  calm  letter  in  reply,  but  it  was  remarked,  as  evidence  of 
unusual  emotion,  that  he  had  omitted  to  mark  the  hour  and  minute  of  his  writing, 
which  he  was  always  accustomed  to  do  with  scmpnlons  precision.  Yet  the  handwrit- 
ing evinced  composure  of  mind. 

Parliament  assembled  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  November,  and  its  first  business 
was  the  consideration  of  events  in  America.  Violent  debates  ensued,  in  which  Ed* 
mund  Burke,  Charles  James  Fox,  General  Conway,  and  the  younger  Pitt,  engaged 
on  the  side  of  the  opposition.    Parliament  adjourned  until  after  the  holydays,  with- 


SUBBEKDER  AT  YORKTOWN.  251 

ington,  his  lordship  continued :  "  And  when  the  illustri- 
ous part  that  your  excellency  has  borne  in  this  long  and 
arduous  contest  becomes  matter  of  history,  fame  will 
gather  your  brightest  laurels  rather  from  the  banks  of 
the  Delaware  than  from  those  of  the  Chesapeake."  In 
this  his  lordship  alluded  ta  the  memorable  midnight 
march  made  by  Washington  with  the  shattered  remains 
of  the  grand  army,  aided  by  the  Pennsylvania  militia, 
on  the  night  of  the  second  of  January,  1777,  which 
resulted  in  the  surprise  of  the  enemy  in  his  rear,  and  the 
victory  of  Princeton,  restoring  hope  to  the  American 
cause  when  it  was  almost  sinking  in  despair. 

Colonel  Tarleton,  alone  of  all  the  British  officers  of 
rank,  was  left  out  in  the  invitations  to  headquarters. 
Gallant  and  high-spirited,  the  colonel  applied  to  the 
Marquis  de  Lafayette  to  know  whether  the  neglect 
might  not  have  been  accidental  ?  Lafayette  well  knew 
that  accident  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter,  but  re- 
ferred the  applicant  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Laurens,  who, 
as  aid-de-camp  to  the  commander-in-chief,  must  of  course 
be  able  to  give  the  requisite  explanation.  Laurens  at 
once  said,  ^  No,  Colonel  Tarleton,  no  accident  at  all ;  in- 
tentional, I  can  assure  you,  and  meant  as  a  reproof  for 

out  taking  any  definite  action  in  the  matter.  On  reassembling,  the  subject  was 
again  brought  up,  when  General  Conway  offered  a  resolution  preliminary  to  the 
enactment  of  a  decree  for  commanding  the  cessation  of  all  hostilities.  It  was  lost 
by  only  one  rote.  The  opposition  were  encouraged,  and  again  pressed  the  matter, 
and  finally,on  the  fourth  of  March,  1782,  a  resolution  was  offered  by  Conway,  "  That 
the  house  of  commons  and  the  nation  would  consider  as  enemies  to  his  majesty 
and  the  country,  all  those  who  should  adrise,  or  by  any  means  attempt,  the  further 
prosecution  of  offensire  war  on  the  continent  of  North  America."  The  ministry 
wore  signally  defeated  in  the  rote  on  this  resolution,  and  Lord  North,  after  an 
administration  as  prime  minister,  of  twelre  years,  resigned  the  seals  of  office ;  and 
soon  a  decree  to  cease  hostilities,  was  furnished  to  the  British  commanders  in 
America. 


252  REOOLLECnOKS   OF  WABHINGTON. 

certain  cruelties  practised  by  the  troops  under  your  com- 
mand in  the  campaigns  of  the  Carolinas/' — "What,  sir," 
haughtily  rejoined  Tarleton,  "  and  is  it  for  severities  in- 
separable from  war,  which  you  are  pleased  to  term 
cruelties,  that  I  am  to  be  disgraced  before  jimior  officers  ? 
Is  itj  sir,  for  a  faithfiil  discharge  of  my  duty  to  my  king 
and  my  country,  that  I  am  thus  humiliated  in  the  eyes 
of  three  armies?" — "Pardon  me,"  continued  Colonel 
Laurens,  "  there  are  modes,  sir,  of  discharging  a  soldier's 
duty,  and  where  mercy  has  a  share  in  the  mode,  it  ren- 
ders the  duty  the  more  acceptable  to  both  friends  and 
foes "  Tarleton  stalked  gloomily  away  to  his  quarters, 
which  he  seldom  left  imtil  his  departure  from  Virginia.* 

*  Banastre  Tarleton  was  born  in  LiTerpool,  England,  in  1 754.  He  had  commenced 
the  stndj  of  law  when  the  American  war  broke  ont.  He  then  joined  the  army  and 
came  over  with  Comwallis.  He  was  with  that  officer  in  all  his  campaigns  in 
this  country,  was  an  active  leader  of  cavalry  at  the  Soath,  and  ended  his  militaiy 
career  at  Yorktown.  He  seemed  innately  cruel  while  in  this  country.  On  his  return 
to  England,  the  inhabitants  of  Liverpool  elected  him  their  representative  in  the  house 
of  commons'.  He  married  the  daughter  of  the  duke  of  Ancaster  in  1798,  and  in  1817 
became  a  major-general  in  the  British  army.  When  George  IV.  was  crowned,  he 
was  created  a  baronet.    He  died  in  1833. 

In  a  personal  rencounter  with  Colonel  William  Washington,  at  the  battle  of  the 
Cowpens,  Colonel  Tarleton  was  severely  wounded  in  the  hand.  According  to  Mrs. 
EUet's  "  Women  of  the  Revolution,"  this  wound  was  twice  made  the  point  of  severe 
wit  by  two  American  ladies,  who  were  daughters  of  Colonel  Montfbrt,  of  Halifax, 
North  Carolina;  Because  of  his  cruel  and  resentful  disposition,  he  was  most  heartily 
despised  by  the  republicans.  The  occasions  were  as  follows :  When  Comwallis  and 
his  army  were  at  Halifax,  on  their  way  to  Titginia,  Tarleton  was  at  the  house  of  an 
American.  In  the  presence  of  Mrs.  Willie  Jones  Cone  of  these  sisters),  Tarleton 
spoke  of  Colonel  Washington  as  an  illiterate  fellow,  hardly  able  to  write  his  name. 
"Ah,  colonel,"  said  Mrs.  Jones,  "you  ought  to  know  better,  for  you  bear  on  your 

erson  proof  that  he  knows  very  well  how  to  make  his  mark  /"  At  another  time, 
Tarleton  was  speaking  sarcastically  of  Washington,  in  the  presence  of  her  sister, 
Mrs.  Ashe.  "  I  would  be  happy  to  see  Colonel  Washington,"  he  said,  with  a  sneer. 
Mrs.  Ashe  instantly  replied,  "If  you  had  looked  behind  you,  Colonel  Tarleton,  at 
the  battle  of  the  Cowpens,  you  would  have  enjoyed  that  pleasure."  Stung  with  this 
keen  wit,  Tarleton  placed  his  hand  on  his  sword.  General  Leslie,  who  was  present, 
remarked,  "  Say  what  you  please,  Mrs.  Ashe,  Colonel  Tarleton  knows  better  than  to 
insult  a  lady  in  my  presence." 


8UBBENDBR  AT  TORKTOWN.  253 

Upon  the  surrender  of  the  post  of  Gloucester,  Colonel 
Tarleton,  knowing  himself  to  be  particularly  obnoxious 
to  the  Americans  from  his  conduct  in  the  Souths  requested 
a  guard  for  his  person.  This  was  afterward  dispensed 
with,  but  he  was  destined  to  be  sadly  humiliated  upon 
his  anival  in  Yorktown,  being  dismounted  in  the  street 
firom  a  beautiful  blood-horse  that  was  claimed  by  a  Vir- 
ginian gentleman  as  his  property.  The  colonel  was  on 
his  way  to  dine  with  the  Baron  de  Viomenil,  and  but  for 
a  French  officer  who  was  passing,  dismounting  an  orderly, 
and  giving  his  steed  to  the  unfortunate  colonel,  this  cele- 
brated cavalier,  badly  calciilated  for  a  pedestrian,  from  a 
defect  in  one  of  his  feet,  must  have  trudged  it  to  the 
baron's  quarters,  a  distance  of  more  than  a  mile. 

The  weather  during  the  siege  of  Yorktown  was  propi- 
tious in  the  extreme,  being,  with  the  exception  of  the 
squall  on  the  night  of  the  sixteenth,"^  the  fine  autumnal 
weather  of  the  South,  commonly  called  the  Indian  sum- 
mer, which  greatly  facilitated  the  military  operations. 
Washington's  headquarters  were  under  canvass  the  whole 
time.f 

The  situation  of  Yorktown,  after  the  surrender,  was 
pestilential.  Numbers  of  wretched  negroes  who  had 
either  been  taken  from  the  plantations,  or  had  of  them- 
selves followed  the  fortunes  of  the  British  army,  had  died 
of  the  small-pox,  which,  with  the  camp-fever,  was  raging 
in  the  place,  and  remamed  unburied  in  the* streets. 

*  The  night  when  Cornwallis  attempted  to  escape. 

t  The  place  where  the  commissionen  met  to  agree  upon  terms  of  capitulation 
was  Moore's  house,  near  the  banks  of  the  York  river.  It  has  sometimes  been  er- 
roneonslj  called  Washington's  headquarters.  That  building  is  yet  standing,  in  the 
midst  of  a  beantifnl  lawn  and  a  pleasant  surronnding  conntrj.  I  visited  it  on  the 
twentj-first  of  December,  1848,  when  so  mild  was  the  weather,  hat,  by  permission  of 
the  occnpant,  I  plucked  a  full-blown  rose  that  was  blooming  near  a  verandah. 


254  BECOIXECnONB  OF  WASHINQTON. 

When  all  hope  of  escape  was  given  up,  the  horses  of  the 
British  legion  were  led  to  the  margin  of  the  river,  shot, 
and  then  thrown  into  the  stream.  The  carcasses,  floating 
with  the  tide,  lodged  on  the  adjacent  shores  and  flats, 
producing  an  effluvium  that  affected  the  atmosphere  for 
miles  around.  Indeed,  it  was  many  months  before  York- 
town  and  its  environs  became  sufficiently  purified  to  be 
habitable  with  any  degree  of  comfort 

A  domestic  affliction  threw  a  shade  over  Washington's 
happiness,  while  his  camp  still  rang  with  shouts  of  tri- 
imiph  for  the  surrender  of  Yorktown.  His  step-son*  (to 
whom  he  had  been  a  parent  and  protector,  and  to  whom 
he  was  fondly  attached),  who  had  acccompanied  him  to 
the  camp  at  Cambridge,  and  was  among  the  first  of  his 
aids  in  the  dawn  of  the  Revolution,  sickened  while  on 
duty  as  extra  aid  to  the  commander-in-chief  in  the 
trenches  before  Yorktown.  Aware  that  his  disease  (the 
camp-fever),  would  be  mortal,  the  sufferer  had  yet  one 
last  lingering  wish  to  be  gratified,  and  he  would  die  con* 
tent  It  was  to  behold  the  surrender  of  the  sword  of 
Comwallis.  He  was  supported  to  the  ground,  and  wit- 
nessed the  admired  spectacle,  and  was  then  removed  to 
Eltham,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles  from  camp.f 

An  express  from  Dr.  Craik  announced  that  there  was 
no  longer  hope,  when  Washington,  attended  by  a  single 
officer,  and  a  groom,  left  the  headquarters  at  midnight^ 
and  rode  with  all  speed  for  Eltham. 

The  anxious  watchers  by  the  couch  of  the  dying  were, 
in  the  gray  of  the  twilight,  aroused  by  a  trampling  of 

*  John  Farke  Castis,  the  onlj  son  of  Mn.  Washington,  and  father  of  the  author 
of  these  BeooUedions, 
t  The  residence  of  Colonel  Basset,  who  married  Mrs.  Washington's  sister. 


8URRENDKR  AT  YOBXTOWN.  255 

hoise^  and^  looking  out>  discovered  the  commander-in- 
chief  alighting  from  a  jaded  charger  in  the  courtyard. 
He  immediately  smnmoned  Doctor  Craik,  and  to  the 
eager  inquiry,  ^  Is  there  any  hope  T  Craik  mournfully 
shook  his  head.  The  general  retired  to  a  room  to  in- 
dulge his  grief,  requesting  to  be  left  alone.  In  a  little 
while  the  poor  sufferer  expired.  Washington,  tenderly 
embracing  the  bereaved  wife  and  mother,  observed  to 
the  weeping  group  around  the  remains  of  him  he  so 
dearly  loved,  ^  From  this  moment  I  adopt  his  two 
youngest  children  as  my  own.*'*  Absorbed  in  grie^  he 
then  waived  with  his  hand  a  melancholy  adieu,  and,  fresh 
horses  being  ready,  without  rest  or  refreshment,  he  re- 
mounted and  returned  to  the  camp. 

*  These  were  Eleanor  Parke  CustU,  who  married  Lawrence  Lewis,  the  &vorite 
nephew  of  (General  Washington,  and  Geoi^ge  Washington  Parke  Castis  —  the  latter, 
the  author  of  these  BeooUecUons, 

NoTB. — ^Aller  the  foregoing  chapter  was  in  type,  I  found  in  the  Philadelphia 
Sunday  Despatch,  in  one  of  a  series  of  articles  on  the  History  of  Chestnut  street,  from 
the  pen  of  one  of  the  editors,  the  following  extract  from  an  old  paper,  entitled 
the  Allied  Mercury  or  Independent  Intelligencer,  of  the  date  of  fifth  November,  1781, 
which  relates  to  the  British  banners  surrendered  at  Yorictown,  mentioned  in  a  note 
on  page  249  of  these  Recollections : — 

"  On  Saturday  last  (Norember  3,  1781),  between  three  and  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  arrired  here  twenty-four  standards  of  colors  taken  with  the  British  army 
under  the  command  of  Earl  Comwallis.  The  volunteer  cavalry  of  this  city  received 
these  trophies  of  victory  at  Schuylkill,  from  whence  they  escorted  and  ushered  them 
into  town  amidst  the  acclamations  of  a  numerous  concourse  of  people.  Continental 
and  Prench  colors,  at  a  distance,  preceded  the  British,  and  thus  they  were  paraded 
down  Market  street  to  the  state-house.  They  were  then  carried  into  Congress  and 
laid  at  their  feet. 

The  crowd  exulting  fills  with  shouts  the  sky, 
The  walls,  the  woods,  and  long  canals  reply : 
Base  Britons !  Tyrant  Britons — knock  under, 
Taken 's  your  earl,  soldiers  and  plunder. 
Huzza !  what  colors  of  the  bloody  foe. 
Twenty-four  in  number,  at  the  State-House  door; 
Look :  they  are  British  standards,  how  they  fall 
At  the  president's  feet.  Congress  and  all." 


256  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  W.\SHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  VII 

washington'b  lifb-guabd. 

NmiBSJi  aud  Unxvobii  of  ths  Guabd — Tmmt  Appsaeakob  ahd  DnoiPLiin— Tm  Faith* 

Law    GVAEDBMAir  — GVABD    BOBBOWXD    FOB    IMPOBTAMT    ExPBBITXOHS  —  ThB    AfFAIB    AT 

Babbbh  Hill— Lafatrtb  nr  Pxbil— Allbh  H'Laub— Esoapb  of  tub  BspvauoAare— 

PAfl8A0B  OFTHSSOHTTTLXILL  — Tub  LxFB-GiTABD  AT  MoKXOUTH  —  HoBOAX*B  MbBRTMBSTT  — 

Last  Subtitob  of  tbb  Gvabd. 

The  Life-Guard  was  a  select  corps,  composed  of  a  major's 
command,  or  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  *    Caleb 

*  Among  the  Connecticut  troops  who  were  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Banker's 
Hilly  was  a  company  under  Captain  Thomas  Knowlton,  who  was  mortally  wounded 
in  a  skirmish  on  Harlem  plains,  on  the  sixteenth  of  September,  1776.  His  was  one 
of  the  bestdisciplined  companies  in  the  crude  army  that  gathered  so  suddenly  near 
Boston,  after  the  bloodshed  at  Lexington  and  Concord  became  known.  This  com- 
pany and  others  were  formed  into  a  battalion  known  as  the  Connecticut  rangers,  to 
the  command  of  which  Enowlton  was  appointed,  with  the  rank  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.  It  formed  a  part  of  the  central  division  of  the  army  at  Cambridge,  after 
Washington  had  taken  the  chief  command,  and  was  under  his  immediate  control. 
The  corps  soon  held  the  same  enviable  position,  as  to  discipline  and  soldierly  deport- 
ment, as  Captain  Knowlton's  company  had  done ;  and  the  commander,  proud  of  his 
battalion,  made  it  a  sort  of  voluntary  body-guard  to  the  gcneral-in-chief,  and  called 
it  Congresses  own" 

This  appellation  produced  some  jealousy  in  the  army,  which  Washington  per- 
ceived ;  and,  on  the  eleventh  of  March,  1776  (a  few  days  before  the  termination  of 
the  siege  of  Boston),  he  ordered  a  corps  to  be  formed,  of  reliable  men,  as  guard  for 
himself,  baggage,  &c.  He  directed  them  to  be  chosen  from  various  regiments,  spe- 
cifying their  height  to  be  "  from  five  feet  nine  inches,  to  five  feet  ten  inches,  and  to 
be  handsomely  and  well  made."  It  consisted  of  a  major's  command— K>ne  hundred 
and  eighty  men.  Caleb  Gibbs,  of  Rhode  Island,  was  its  first  chief,  and  bore  the 
title  of  captain-commandant,  having  three  lieutenants.  When  this  corps  was 
formed,  that  of  Enowlton  was  no  longer  regarded  with  jealousy,  as  a  special  favor- 
ite, although  it  continued  to  be  so  in  the  estimation  of  Washington. 

The  Ltfe-Quard  appear  to  have  been  quite  popular.    Captain  Harding,  of  Fair- 


WASHINGTON'S   UFB-GUARD.  257 

Gibbs  was  the  first  captain-commandant,  and  was  ably 
seconded  by  brave  and  gallant  young  officers.  Their 
uniform  consisted  of  a  blue  coat,  with  white  facings; 
white  waistcoat  and  breeches;  black  stock  and  black 
half-gaiters,  and  a  round  hat  with  blue  and  white  feather  * 

field,  ConBecticQt,  writing  to  Goreraor  Trambull,  on  the  twentieth  of  May,  1776, 
said :  "I  am  now  about  fitting  out  another  small  sloop  [privateersman],  that  was 
taken  from  a  tory,  that  I  hare  called  the  Li/e-Guard,  to  be  commanded  by  lir. 
Smedley,  to  cruise  to  the  eastward/'  &c.,  &c.  On  the  sixteenth  of  the  same  month, 
Washington,  then  in  New  York,  issaed  the  following  order :  "  Any  orders  delivered 
by  Caleb  Gibbs  and  George  Lewis,  Esqrs.,  [officers  of  the  general's  Gnard],  are  to 
be  attended  to  in  the  same  manner  sub  if  sent  by  an  aid4e-camp.'* 

We  find  no  farther  mention  of  the  Guard  until  in  June  following,  when  members 
of  it  were  suspected  of  being  engaged  in  an  alleged  conspiracy  to  assassinate  Wash- 
ington and  his  staff.  This  conspiracy  was  concocted  by  Govenior  Tryon,  then  a 
refugee  on  board  of  a  British  man-of-war  in  the  harbor  of  New  Yoik,  and  the  tories 
in  the  city  and  ricinity,  at  the  head  of  whom  was  Matthews  the  mayor.  They  were 
made  bold  by  the  expected  speedy  arrival  of  a  strong  British  land  and  naval  force. 
It  was  arranged,  that  on  the  arrival  of  these  forces,  the  tories  were  to  rise,  full-armed, 
to  co-operate  with  them ;  that  Eingsbridge,  at  the  upper  end  of  York  island  should 
be  destroyed,  so  as  to  cut  of  all  communication  with  the  main  land ;  that  the  maga^ 
lines  should  be  fired,  and  Washington  and  his  staff  be  murdered,  or  seized  and 
given  up  to  the  enemy.  The  plan  was  hinted  at  by  the  voice  of  rumor,  and  sus- 
picion of  complicity  rested  upon  one  or  two  of  the  Life-Guard.  One,  named  Hickey, 
was  proved  to  have  made  arrangements  to  have  poison  placed  in  some  green  peas  of 
which  Washington  was  about  to  partake.  He  was  hanged  on  the  twenty-eighth  of 
June,  1776.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  the  victim  of  this,  the  first  military  execution 
in  the  continental  army,  was  a  member  of  the  body-guard  of  the  commander-in- 
chief,  who  were  chosen  for  theur  trustworthiness. 

*  This  description  exactly  corresponds  with  the  device  on  a  flag  that  belonged  to 
the  cavalry  of  the  Guard,  which  is  preserved  in  the  museum  at  Alexandria,  and  of 
which  I  have  a  drawing.  The  flag  is  made  of  white  silk,  on  which  the  device  is 
neatly  painted.  One  of  the  Gkiard  is  seen  holding  a  horse,  and  is  in  the  act  of 
receiving  a  flag  from  the  genius  of  liberty,  who  is  personified  as  a  woman  leaning 
upon  the  Union  shield,  near  which  is  the  American  eagle.  The  motto  of  the  corps, 
"  CoKQUBH  OH  DiB,"  IS  upou  a  ribbou.  Care  was  always  taken  to  have  each 
state,  from  which  the  continental  army  was  supplied  with  troops,  represented  by 
members  of  this  corps.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  infantry  portion  to  guard  the  head- 
quarters, and  to  insure  the  safe-keeping  of  the  papers  and  effects  of  the  commander- 
in-diief,  as  well  as  the  safety  of  his  person.  The  mounted  portion  accompanied  the 
general  in  his  marches  and  in  reconnoitering,  or  other  like  movements.  They  wore 
employed  as  patrols,  videttes,  and  bearers  of  the  general's  orders  to  various  military 
poits ;  and  they  were  never  spared  in  battle. 

17 


258  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINQTON. 

The  cavalry  of  the  Guard  was  detailed  from  various 
corps  during  the  contest*     In  the  earlier  campaigns, 

*  A  new  oi^ganization  of  the  Guard  took  place  at  the  close  of  April,  1777,  when 
Washington  was  at  Morristown,  in  New  Jersej.  On  the  thirtieth  of  that  month,  he 
issued  the  following  circular  to  the  colonels  of  regiments  stationed  there : — 

"  Sir  :  I  want  to  form  a  company  for  mj  guard.  In  doing  this,  I  wish  to  be 
extremely  cautious,  because  it  is  more  than  probable  that,  in  the  course  of  the  cam- 
paign,  my  baggage,  papers,  and  other  matters  of  great  public  import,  may  be  com- 
mitted to  the  solo  care  of  these  men.  This  being  premised,  in  order  to  impress  you 
with  proper  attention  in  the  choice,  I  have  to  request  that  you  will  immediately  fur- 
nish me  with  four  men  of  your  regiment ;  and,  as  it  is  my  farther  wish  that  this 
company  should  look  well,  and  be  nearly  of  a.  size,  I  desire  that  none  of  the  men 
may  exceed  in  stature  five  feet  ten  inches,  nor  fall  short  of  five  feet  nine  inches — 
sober,  young,  acdre,  and  well  made.  When  I  recommend  care  in  your  choice,  I 
would  be  understood  to  mean,  of  good  character,  in  the  regiment — ^that  possess  the 
pride  of  appearing  clean  and  soldierlike.  I  am  satisfied  there  can  be  no  absolute 
security  for  the  fidelity  of  this  class  of  people ;  but  yet  I  think  it  most  likely  to  be 
found  in  those  who  have  family  connections  in  the  country.  You  will,  therefore, 
send  me  none  but  natives.  I  must  insist  that,  in  making  this  choice,  you  give  no 
intimation  of  my  preference  of  natives,  as  I  do  not  want  to  create  any  invidious 
distinction  between  them  and  the  foreigners." 

A  few  days  before  making  this  requisition,  Washington  wrote  as  follows  to  the 
captain-commandant  of  hts  Guard  —  Caleb  Gibbs : — 

"  MoRRiSTOWsr,  April  22,  1777. 

"Dbar  Sir  :  I  foigot  before  you  left  this  place  to  desire  you  to  provide  clothing 
for  the  men  that  are  to  compose  my  Guard — but  now  desire  that  you  will  apply  to 
the  clothier-general,  and  have  them  forwarded  to  this  place,  or  headquartors,  as 
soon  as  possible. 

**  Provide  for  four  sergeants,  four  corporals,  a  drum  and  fife,  and  fifty  rank  and  Ale. 
If  blue  and  buff  can  be  had,  I  should  prefer  that  uniform,  as  it  is  the  one  I  wear 
myself.  If  it  can  not,  Mr.  Mease  and  you  may  fix  upon  any  other,  red  excepted.  I 
shall  get  men  from  five  feet  nine  to  five  feet  ten,  for  the  Guard ;  for  such  sized  men, 
therefore  make  your  clothing.  You  may  get  a  small  round  hat,  or  a  cocked  one,  as 
you  please. 

"  In  getting  these  clothes  no  mention  need  be  made  for  what  purpose  they  are  in- 
tended ;  for  though  no  extraordinary  expense  will  attend  it,  and  the  Guard  which  is 
absolutely  necessary  for  the  security  of  my  baggage  and  papers,  &c.,  may  as  well  bo 
in  uniform ;  yet  the  report  of  making  a  uniform  (or  if  already  made,  of  proriding 
uniform)  for  the  Guards,  creates  an  idea  of  expense  which  I  would  not  wish 
should  go  forth. 

"  That  your  arms  may  also  be  of  a  piece,  I  herewith  enclose  you  an  order  on  the 
oom'y  of  stores  for  fifty  muskets.    I  am,  dear  sir,  your  most  obe'dt, 

"Gbo.  Wabhikotox." 


Washington's  ueb-guakd.  259 

from  Baylof s  regiment^  which  was  called  Lady  Washing^ 
tofiB  DragiHms  —  uniform  white,  with  blue  facings,  &c.* 
The  Life-Guard,  always  attached  to  the  headquarters,  was 
admired  as  well  for  its  superior  appearance  as  for  its  high 
state  of  discipline ;  it  being  considered,  in  the  olden  time, 
a  matter  of  distinction  to  serve  in  the  Guard  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief.f 

*  Lieutenant-Colonel  Baylor's  corps  was  one  of  the  ^nest  in  the  army.  While 
lying  at  Old  Tappan,  near  the  Hudson,  with  his  regiment,  in  fancied  security,  tow- 
ard the  close  of  September,  1778,  he  was  surprised  by  General  Grey  (father  of  Earl 
Grey,  late  premier  of  England),  of  Comwallis's  army,  and  a  laige  number  of  his 
men  were  brutally  bayoneted  while  imploring  quarter.  Out  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-four  men,  sixty-seven  were  killed  or  wounded.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Baylor 
was  taken  prisoner;  and  seventy  horses  belonging  to  the  corps  were  butchered. 

t  After  the  reoi^ganization  of  the  Guard,  in  the  spring  of  1777,  the  number  was 
considerably  increased.  In  the  spring  of  1778,  the  Baron  von  Steuben  arrived  at  the 
camp  at  Valley  Forge,  and  assumed  the  office  of  inspector-general  of  the  army. 
He  selected  one  hundred  and  twenty  men  from  the  line,  whom  he  formed  into  a 
special  guard  for  the  general-in-chief.  He  made  them  his  military  school,  drilled 
them  twice  a^day,  and  thus  commenced  that  admirable  system  of  discipline  by  which 
he  rendered  most  important  service  to  the  American  cause. 

Caleb  Gibbs  was  still  captaia-oommandant,  and  remained  in  that  position  until 
near  the  dose  of  1779,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  William  Colfax,  one  of  his  three 
lieutenants,  the  other  two  being  Henry  P.  Livingston,  of  New  York,  and  Benjamin 
Grymcs,  of  Virginia.  Colfax  became  commandant  while  Washington  was  stationed 
at  Morristown,  and  when  the  number  of  the  corps  was  greater  than  at  any  other 
period  during  the  war.  He  was  bora  in  Connecticut,  in  the  year  1760,  and  at  the 
ago  of  seventeen  he  was  commissioned  as  lieutenant  of  the  continental  army.  Ho 
was  in  the  battle  at  White  Plains,  where  he  was  shot  through  the  body.  When  he 
became  the  leader  of  the  general's  Guard,  a  strong  attachment  was  formed  be- 
tween the  commander-in-chief  and  the  young  subaltern.  Washington  often  shared 
his  tent  and  his  table  with  him ;  and  he  gave  the  young  man  many  tokens  of  his 
esteem.  One  of  these  the  family  of  General  Colfkx  yet  possesses.  It  is  a  silver 
itock-buckle,  set  with  paste  brilliants.  Colfax  was  at  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis 
at  Yorktown,  and  ho  remained  with  the  army  until  it  was  disbanded  late  in  1783. 
He  then  settled  at  Pompton,  New  Jersey,  where  he  married  Hester  Schuyler,  a 
cousin  of  General  Philip  Schuyler.  In  1793,  he  was  commissioned  by  Governor 
Howell,  general  and  commander-in-chief  of  the  militia  of  New  Jersey.  He  was  a 
presidential  elector  in  1798;  and  in  1810  ho  was  commissioned  a  brigadier-general 
of  the  Jersey  Blues,  and  was  active  during  the  earlier  period  of  the  war  of  1812. 
He  was  appointed  a  judge  of  the  Common  Pleas  of  Bergen  county,  which  office  bo 


260  R£COLLB0TION8  OF  WA8HINGT0K. 

The  Life-Guard  was  borrowed  by  favorite  officers  for 
several  important  expeditions.  In  the  affidr  of  Barren 
Hill,  in  May  '78,*  the  Life-Guard  formed  a  part  of  the 
troops  under  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  who,  recovered 
of  the  wound  he  received  in  the  preceding  campaign,f  in 
'78  made  his  debut  in  arms  as  a  general  officer.  The 
position  at  Barren  hill  becoming  extremely  hazardous, 
on  account  of  two  heavy  coliunns  of  the  enemy  that 
were  marching  to  intercept  the  communication  of  the 
marquis  with  the  mam  army  at  Valley  Forge,  the  young 
general  determined,  by  a  gallant  dash  between  the  ad- 
vancing columns,  to  reach  the  ford  on  the  Schuylkill,  and 
thus  secure  his  retreat  to  the  main  army.  Here  let  our 
narration  pause,  while  we  pay  a  well-merited  tribute  to 
the  memory  and  services  of  Allen  M'Lane,  to  whose 
xmtiring  vigilance  in  watching  the  stealthy  approach  of 
the  enemy's  colmnns  toward  Barren  hill,  and  prompt- 
ness in  attacking  them  on  their  route,  the  marquis  was 
mainly  indebted  for  success  in  the  celebrated  retreat 
that  shed  such  lustre  on  his  first  command. 

Li  Allen  M^Lane,  we  have  the  recollection  of  a  parti- 
san who,  with  genius  to  conceive,  possessed  a  courage 
even  to  chivalry  to  execute  the  most  daring  enterprises ; 


held  antil  his  death,  which  oecnned  in  1838,  when  he  was  seTentj-eight  yean  of 
age.    He  was  then  bnried  with  militaiy  honors. 

*  When  romon  reached  Washington,  in  his  camp  at  Valley  Forge,  that  the  Brit- 
ish were  about  to  eracnate  Philadelphia,  he  detached  Laiajette,  with  little  over  a 
thousand  chosen  men,  and  fire  pieces  of  cannon,  to  take  position  eastward  of  the 
Schujlkill,  nearer  Philadelphia,  to  watch  their  movements.  He  took  post  upon 
Barren  hill,  about  half  way  between  Valley  Foige  and  Philadelphia,  on  the 
eighteenth  of  May. 

t  Lafayette  was  sererely  wounded  in  his  leg,  by  a  musket  ball,  at  the  battle  of 
Brandywine,  on  the  eleventh  of  September,  1777.  He  tarried,  during  his  disability, 
among  the  Moravians,  at  Bethlehem,  in  Pennsylvania. 


WASHINGTON'S   LIFE-GUARD.  261 

who  ever  ranked  with  the  foremost  in  the  esteem  of  the 
chief,  and  was  considered  by  the  whole  army  as  one  of 
the  most  intrepid  and  distinguished  officers  of  the  war 
of  the  Revolution. 

When  the  retiring  Americans  reached  the  ford  of  the 
SchuylkiU,*  they  hesitated  in  attempting  the  passage.  La- 
fayette sprang  from  his  horse,  and  rushed  into  the  water 
waist  deep,  calling  on  his  comrades  to  follow.  Animated 
by  the  example  of  their  youthful  general,  the  soldiers 
entered  the  river,  the  taller  men  sustaining  the  shorter, 
and  after  a  severe  struggle  gained  the  southern  or  friendly 
shore,  having  suffered  but  inconsiderable  loss. 

Meanwhile,  the  enemy  were  in  close  pursuit,  and  the 
commander-in-chief,  fearing  for  the  detachment,  which 
consisted  of  his  choicest  troops,  including  the  Life-Guard, 
dragged  his  artillery  to  the  rocky  heights  that  com- 
manded the  ford,  and  opened  upon  the  enemy's  advance, 
checking  them  so  far  as  to  enable  the  marquis  the  better 
to  secure  his  retreat  There  was  one  feature  in  the 
martial  spectacle  of  the  passage  of  the  Schuylkill  of  rare 
and  imposing  interest:  it  was  the  admired  form  of  Wash- 
ington, at  times  obscinred,  and  then  beheld  amid  the 
smoke  of  the  cannonade,  as,  attended  by  his  generals  and 
Btafl^  he  would  waive  his  hat  to  encourage  the  soldiers 
in  their  perilous  passage  of  the  stream. 

On  the  morning  of  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  June,  78, 
a  detachment  from  the  Life-Guard,  and  one  from  Mor- 

*  Matson's  ford,  a  few  miles  below  Nonistown.  Throagh  lack  of  vigilance  on 
the  part  of  some  militia,  Lafayette  came  yerj  near  being  sorronnded  at  Barren  hill 
bj  General  Qrant,  with  fire  thousand  men.  With  perfect  presence  of  mind,  the 
marqais  threw  ont  small  parties  so  jndicionsly,  that  Qnxkt,  supposing  he  was  pre- 
paring for  an  attack,  halted  his  column  to  make  similar  preparations.  This  gave 
Lafkyette  an  opportunity  to  eseape. 


262  RECOLLECTIONS   OP  WASHINGTON. 

gan's  riflemen,  led  by  Morgan^ s  favorite,  Captain  Gabriel 
Long,  made  a  brilliant  dash  at  a  party  of  the  enemy 
which  they  surprised  while  washing  at  a  brook  that  ran 
through  an  extensive  meadow.  Seventeen  grenadiers 
were  made  prisoners,  and  borne  off  in  the  very  face  of 
the  British  light-infantry,  who  fired  upon  their  daring 
assailants,  and  immediately  commenced  a  hot  pursuit; 
yet  Long  displayed  such  consummate  ability  as  well  as 
courage,  that  he  brought  off  his  party,  prisoners  and  all, 
with  only  the  loss  of  one  sergeant  woimded. 

Morgan  was  in  waiting,  at  the  out-post,  to  receive  the 
detachment  on  their  return,  having  listened,  with  much 
anxiety,  to  the  heavy  fire  of  the  pursuing  enemy.  Charm- 
ed with  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  in  the  return  of 
the  troops  almost  unharmed,  and  in  the  prisoners  taken, 
Morgan  wrung  the  favorite  captain  by  the  hand,  and  paid 
his  compliments  to  the  officers  and  men  of  his  own  corps, 
and  of  the  Life-Guard.  Then  the  famed  Leader  of  the 
Woodsmen  indulged  himself  in  a  stentorian  laugh  that 
made  all  ring  again,  at  the  bespattered  condition  of  the 
gentlemen,  as  he  was  pleased  to  term  the  Life-Guard,  and 
who,  in  their  precipitate  retreat,  having  to  pass  through 
certain  swamps  that  abound  in  the  portion  of  New  Jersey 
then  the  seat  of  war,  presented  a  most  soiled  appearance 
for  troops  who  might  be  termed  the  martinets  of  sixty 
years  ago. 

It  is  believed  that  the  late  Colonel  John  Nicholas,  of 
Virginia,  was  the  last  of  the  Life-Guard^ 

*  This  WM  first  published  in  the  NcOioned  InteUigenctr,  on  the  thirtieth  of  Jan* 
naiy,  1838.  One  of  the  Life-Goard,  and  doubtless  the  very  kut  sanrivor,  lired  until 
early  in  1856,  eighteen  years  after  the  text  of  this  chapter  was  published.  His  name 
was  Uzal  Knapp,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  a  resident  of  New  Windsor, 
Orange  countj,  New  York.    He  was  a  native  of  Stamford,  Connecticut,  where  he 


Washington's  life-guabd.  263 

was  bom  in  October,  1758.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  yean  he  enlisted  in  the  con- 
tinental army,  as  a  common  soldier,  to^senre  "for  and  during  the  war;"  and  he 
was  continoallj  on  duty  from  that  time  until  his  discharge  in  Jane,  1783.  Hia  first 
active  service  was  at  White  Plains,  in  the  antamn  of  1776.  He  was  with  Wooster 
at  Ridgefield;  and  was  at  Peekskill  when  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery  were 
stormed  and  taken  by  the  British,  in  the  antamn  of  1777.  He  passed  the  following 
winter  among  the  snows  of  Valley  Foxge,  and  in  May  he  joined  the  light-infantry 
of  Lafayette,  at  Barren  hill.  Ho  was  with  him  in  the  battle  of  Monmoath,  in  June ; 
and  in  the  winter  of  1780,  when  the  nnmber  of  the  Life-Gnard  was  augmented,  he 
entered  that  corps  at  Morristown,  and  received  from  the  hands  of  Washington  the 
commission  of  sei^ant  At  the  time  of  his  discharge,  he  received  from  the  com- 
mander in-chief  the  Badge  of  MUitary  Merit,  for  six  years'  faithful  service.  This 
honorary  badge  of  distinction  was  established  by  Washington,  in  Angnst,  1781,  and 
was  conferred  upon  non-commissioned  officers  and  soldiers  who  had  served  three 
years  with  bravery,  fidelity,  and  good  conduct,  and  upon  every  one  who  should  per- 
form any  singularly  meritorious  action.  The  badge  entitled  the  recipient  '*  to  pass 
and  repass  all  guards  and  military  posts  as  fnlly  and  amply  as  any  commissioned 
officer  whatever."    It  was  the  order  of  the  American  "  Legion  of  Honor." 

After  the  war.  Sergeant  Knapp  settled  in  New  Windsor,  near  Newburgh ;  and 
there  he  lived  the  quiet  life  of  a  farmer  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the 
eleventh  of  January,  1856,  when  he  was  little  more  than  ninety*«ix  years  of  age. 
His  body  was  taken  to  Newburgh,  and  there  lay  in  state  for  three  days,  in  the  centre 
of  the  reception-room  in  Washington's  headquarters,  so  well  preseired  as  the  property 
of  the  state.  On  Wednesday,  the  sixteenth  of  January,  attended  by  a  civic  and 
military  pageant,  and  a  vast  assemblage  of  people,  it  was  buried  at  the  foot  of  the 
flag-staff,  on  the  slope  near  that  venerated  building  around  which  cluster  so  many 
memories  of  Washington  and  the  continental  army.  It  is  a  most  appropriate 
burial-place  for  the  mortal  remains  of  the  veteran  goardsman. 


264  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WAaHINQTOK. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  HUNTmO-SHIRT. 

Majob  AinmiH  Lnm— Accovht  or  Bxallwood**  BiaiirvNT  vx  Phtladslphia—Tiris 
Amsi— Ohabaotbb  or  thx  Huibsbs— Ths  Bboimxht  on  Lovo  Iblahs— In  Wbsck  — 
Bbmaxkbbt  Mb.  GuBm— Moboan^  RoxBinar  at  Qvbbbo— Thbib  Appbabakob— Ano- 
DOTB  or  A  Tabbbb  Captaib — a  Bbruh  Abmibaz.  Ovtwrtbd — Fbab  or  Moboan^  Bipi» 
icBN— Thkib  Attachxbnt  to  thbib  Lbadbb— Tub  Hiohlaud  Costumb— A  Plba  rom  tbb 
Htthtiko-bhibt. 

In  the  National  Intelligencer,  on  the  twelfth  of  Octo- 
ber, 1833,  the  editor  remarked: — 

"  The  following  interesting  reminiscence  of  the  days 
of  trial,  with  a  graphic  description  of  a  corps,  that  waa 
composed  of  the  chivalry  of  Maryland,  and  formed  the 
very  elUe  of  the  army  of  independence,  in  the  memorable 
campaign  of  1776,  will,  we  are  assm'ed,  be  read  with 
gratification  by  all  the  Americans. 

*^  These  details  are  selected  from  among  a  series  of 
papers,  fmnished  by  our  venerable  neighbor,  and  Revo- 
lutionary veteran,  Major  Adlum,  to  Mr.  Custis,  of  Arling- 
ton, for  the  latter  gentleman's  work,  ^  The  Private  Me- 
moirs of  Washington.* 

^^SmaUwood's  regiment  arrived  in  Philadelphia  about 
the  middle  of  July,  1776,  the  day  after  the  militia  of 
Torktown*  got  there.  I  happened  to  be  in  Market  street 
when  the  regiment  was  marching  down  it.  They  turned 
up  Front  street,  tUl  they  reached  the  Quaker  meeting- 

*  York,  Pennsylrania. 


THE  HUNTINGHSHIRT.  265 

house^  called  the  Bank  meeting,  where  they  halted  for 
some  tune,  which  I  presmned  was  owing  to  a  delicacy  on 
the  part  of  the  oflScers,  seeing  they  were  about  to  be 
quartered  in  a  place  of  worship.  After  a  time,  they 
moved  forward  to  the  door,  where  the  officers  halted, 
and  their  platoons  came  up,  and  stood  with  their  hats  ofi^ 
while  the  soldiers  with  recovered  arms,  marched  into  the 
meeting-house.  The  officers  then  retired,  and  sought 
quarters  elsewhere. 

^^The  regiment  was  then  said  to  be  eleven  hundred 
strong ;  and  never  did  a  finer,  more  dignified,  and  braver 
body  of  men,  face  an  enemy.  They  were  composed  of 
the  flower  of  Maryland,  being  young  gentlemen,  the  sons 
of  opulent  planters,  farmers,  and  mechanics.  From  the 
colonel  to  the  private,  all  were  attired  in  huvimgshirts. 
I  afterward  saw  this  fine  corps  on  their  march  to  join 
General  Washington.* 

*^^In  the  battle  of  Long  l8land,f  Smallwood's  regi- 
ment, when  engaged  with  an  enemy  of  overwhelmingly 
superior  force,  displayed  a  courage  and  discipline,  that 
sheds  upon  its  memory  an  undying  lustre,  while  it  was 

*  Thej  joined  the  American  anny  under  Washington,  at  New  York,  at  the  close 
of  Joly,  and  presented  a  strong  contrast  to  the  irregnlarly-dressed  troops  firom  New 
Bngland. 

t  British  and  Qerman  troops,  to  the  namber  of  about  thirty  thousand,  arrived  at 
Suten  Island,  before  New  York,  at  the  close  of  July,  1776.  Washington,  with  an 
army  of  about  seventeen  thousand  men,  mostly  militia,  lay  intrenched  in  New  York 
and  Tidnity,  waiting  for  the  expected  foe.  In  that  relative  position  the  two  armies 
lay  until  the  morning  of  the  twenty-second  of  August,  when  ten  thousand  of  the 
enemy  landed  upon  the  west  end  of  Long  Island.  Meanwhile,  Washington  had 
formed  a  fortified  camp  on  high  ground  near  Brooklyn,  on  Long  Island,  opposite 
New  York,  and  in  that  vicinity  a  severe  battle  was  fonght,  on  the  twenty-seventh  of 
August,  in  which  the  British  were  victorious,  the  Americans  losing  in  killed,  wound- 
ed, and  prisoners,  about  sixteen  hundred  men.  These  were  soon  made  to  feel  the 
horrible  sufferings  which  gave  the  name  of  hdU  to  the  prison-ships  in  the  harbor  of 
New  Yoric  and  the  jails  in  the  city. 


266  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

SO  cut  to  pieces,  that  in  the  October  following,  when  I 
again  saw  the  regiment,  its  remains  did  not  exceed  a 
hundred  men.* 

"^Captain  Edward  de  Courcy,  Captain  Herbert,  a  cap- 
tain, and  a  Doctor  Stuart,  of  Smallwood's,  were  among 
the  prisoners  taken  at  Long  Island,  with  whom  I  became 
acquainted,  while  I  was  a  prisoner  in  New  York. 

^ '  The  wreck  of  the  once  superb  regiment  of  Smalt 
wood  fought  in  the  battles  of  the  White  Plains  and  the 
subsequent  actions  in  the  Jerseys,  and  in  the  memorable 
campaign  of  1776,  terminating  with  the  battle  of  Prince- 
ton, January,  1777,  where  the  remains  of  the  regiment^ 
reduced  to  little  more  than  a  company,  were  commanded 
by  Captain,  afterward  Governor  Stone  of  Maryland.' " 

To  the  above  communication  Mr.  Custis  added  the  fol- 
lowing remarks : — 

The  hunting-shirty  the  emblem  of  the  Revolution,  is 
banished  from  the  national  military,  but  still  lingers 
among  the  htmters  and  pioneers  of  the  Far  West  This 
national  costume,  properly  so  called,  was  adopted  in  the 
outset  of  the  Revolution,  and  was  recommended  by 
Washington  to  his  army,f  in  the  most  eventful  period  of 

*  In  A  severe  conflict  between  the  dirisions  of  Lord  Stirling,  of  the  republican 
armj,  and  Lord  Comwaliis,  of  the  British  army,  Smallwood's  regiment  lost  two 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  of  its  members. 

t  Washington  was  an  early  advocate  for  the  hunting-shut,  in  imitation  of  the  In- 
dian costume.  While  on  the  march  for  Fort  du  Qnesne,  in  July  1758,  he  wrote 
to  Colonel  Boquet,  saying :  "  Mj  men  are  very  bare  of  regimental  clothing,  and  I 
have  no  prospect  of  a  supply.  So  far  from  regretting  this  want  during  the  present 
campaign,  if  I  were  left  to  pursue  my  own  inclination,  I  would  not  only  order  the 
men  to  adopt  the  Indian  dress,  but  cause  the  officers  to  do  it  also,  and  be  the  first  to 
set  the  example  myself.  Nothing  but  the  uncertainty  of  obtaining  the  general  i^ 
probation  causes  me  to  hesitate  a  moment  to  leave  my  regimentals  at  this  place  [camp 
near  Fort  Cumberland],  and  proceed  as  light  as  any  Indian  in  the  woods.  It  is  an 
unbecoming  dress,  I  own,  for  an  officer;  but  convenience,  mther  than  show,  should 


THE  HUNnNO-SHIRT.  267 

the  War  for  Independence.  It  was  a  favorite  garb  with 
many  of  the  officers  of  the  line,  particularly  by  the  gal- 
lant Colonel  Josiah  Parker. 

When  Morgan's  riflemen,  made  prisoners  at  the  a^ 
sanlt  on  Quebec,  in  1775,*  were  returning  to  the  South  to 
be  exchanged,  the  British  garrisons  on  the  route  beheld 
with  wonder  these  ^ons  of  the  mountain  and  the  forest 
Their  hardy  looks,  their  tall  athletic  forms,  their  march- 
ing always  in  Indian  file,  with  the  light  and  noiseless 
step  peculiar  to  their  pursuit  of  woodland  game ;  but, 
above  all,  to  European  eyes,  their  singular  and  picturesque 
costume,  the  himting-shirtj  with  its  fringes,  the  wampum 
belts,  leggins,  and  moccasins,  richly  worked  with  the  In- 
dian ornaments  of  beads  and  porcupine  quills  of  brilliant 
and  varied  dyes,  the  tomahawk  and  knife ;  these,  with 
the  well  known  death-dealing  aim  of  those  matchless 
marksmen,  created  in  the  European  military  a  degree  of 

be  consulted.  The  redaction  of  bat-hones  alone  wonld  be  sufficient  to  recommend 
it,  for  nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  less  baggage  would  be  required,  and  the 
public  benefited  in  proportion." 

Boquety  like  a  sensible  man,  gave  a  sympathetic  response  to  Washington's  sug- 
gestions, but  the  remainder  of  the  regular  officers  opposed  it.  Washington  tried  the 
experiment,  and  it  was  eminently  successful.  He  equipped  two  companies  in  that 
waj  and  sent  them  to  headquarters.  The  weather  was  then  extremely  hot,  and  the 
light  costume  pleased  all  wearers.  Colonel  Boquet  wrote  to  Washington :  "  The 
dress  takes  Tcry  well  here,  and,  thank  God,  we  see  nothing  but  shirts  and  blankets." 
Such  was  the  origin  of  the  hunting-shirt,  or  costume  of  the  American  riflemen. 

*  Morgan,  at  the  head  of  a  rifle  corps,  accompanied  General  AHiold  in  the  expe- 
dition across  the  country  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  in  the  autumn  of 
1775.  That  expedition,  emerging  from  the  wilderness,  appeared  at  Point  Levi,  op- 
posite Quebec,  in  the  midst  of  foiling  snow,  in  November.  The  apparition  startled 
the  Quebec  people,  and  by  the  mistake  of  a  single  word,  their  fears  were  greatly  in- 
creased. Morgan's  men  had  the  linen  hunting-shirt  over  their  thick  clothing,  and 
those  who  first  saw  them,  reported  that  they  were  u^  en  toiU — clothed  in  lineu 
clothes.  The  word  toile  was  mistaken  for  Uie,  iron  plate,  and  the  news  spread  that 
they  were  clad  in  sheet  iron  !  In  the  siege  that  afterward  followed,  Morgan  and  his 
blare  men  were  made  prisoners  by  the  British. 


268  BfiCOLLECnOKS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

awe  and  respect  for  the  hunting-fihirty  which  lasted  with 
the  War  of  the  Revolution.* 

That  the  fame  of  the  prowess  of  American  woodsmen 
had  not  been  efhced  by  time^  let  me  instance  the  ^ruse 
de  guerre''  most  happily  played  off  by  a  Yankee  captain 
upon  a  British  admiral  during  the  last  war. 

A  Captain  G— —  had  been  taken  by  one  of  the  vessels 
composing  the  Chesapeake  squadron^f  and  was  carried  on 
board  the  admiral's  ship,  who,  after  civilly  treating  his 

prisoner,  one  day  observed,  ^  Pray,  Captain  G y  if  I 

should  determine  to  make  a  reconnoissani^e  up  the  Poto- 
mac, toward  your  seat  of  government,  how  many  rifle- 
men may  I  expect  to  find  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  as 
my  pilots  tell  me  the  channel-way  in  some  places  runs 
very  near  the  land  ?  I  do  not  mean  your  regulars,  but 
those  hunting-shirt  fellows,  from  the  woods,  who  can  hit 
any  button  on  my  coat,  when  they  are  in  the  humor  of 
sharp-shooting."  Here  the  Yankee,  being  wide  awake  to 
the  importance  of  the  question,  as  regarding  his  country's 
interests,  went  right  to  windward  of  the  admiral  at  once. 
He  looked  grave,  and  began  to  reckon  deliberately  on 
his  fingers ;  after  a  time,  he  replied,  with  perfect  compo- 
sure, "Why,  I  guess  somewhere  about  ten  or  eleven 
thousand,  sir."     The  Briton,  in  his  turn,  looked  grave, 

*  General  Gfttes  bore  testimony  to  the  fiict,  that  Moigan'a  corps  inspired  the 
British  with  fear.  Washington  had  sent  that  fine  corps  to  assist  Gates  in  opposing 
Borgoyne.  After  the  battle  near  Stillwater,  on  the  nineteenth  of  September,  1777, 
he  wrote  to  Gates  to  send  them  back  again  if  he  coald  possibly  spare  them.  Gates 
receired  the  letter  just  before  the  decisive  engagement  of  the  seyenth  of  October,  and 
in  reply,  after  stating  that  he  could  not  then  part  with  any  of  his  troops,  he  remarked, 
"  In  this  sitaation  yonr  excellency  would  not  wish  me  to  part  with  the  corps  the  army 
of  General  Burgoyne  are  most  afraid  of." 

t  Under  Admiral  Cockbom,  who  engaged  in  an  amphibious  marauding  warfare 
on  the  shores  of  that  bay. 


THE  HONTINa-fiHIRT.  269 

and  taming  to  his  officers,  observed,  "I  beUeve  we  will 
not  go  up  at  this  time/' 

Not  a  long  rifle,  that  is,  such  as  a  hunting-shirt  would 
use  (for  a  genuine  Tomahawk  would  not  pick  up  in  the 
street  a  short,  or  jager  piece),  was  at  the  time  within  a 
hundred  miles  of  the  Potomac,  and  the  Yankee  well 
knew  it ;  but  finding  that  he  had  an  opportunity  of  pro- 
tecting an  important  portion  of  his  country  by  hoaxing 
a  British  admiral,  he  thought  that  the  end  justified  the 
means,  as  to  take  advantage  is  the  true  morality  of  war. 
The  Yankee  sq  played  his  part,  and  famously  too. 

General  Morgan  frequently  observed,  ^  The  very  sight 
of  my  riflemen  was  always  enough  for  a  Hessian  piquet. 
They  would  scamper  into  their  lines  as  if  the  d — ^l  drove 
them,  shouting  in  all  the  English  they  knew,  ^  Rebel  in 
de  bush !  rebel  in  de  bush !'  '"* 

The  famed  corps  of  Morgan  was  raised  in  the  Shenan- 
doah valley  and  the  mountains  circiunjaceni  The  drum 
and  fife,  and  even  the  sergeant's  hard  doUars  on  the  drum- 
head, would  not  have  enlisted  a  man  of  this  corps.  It 
was  like  the  devotion  of  a  Highland  clan  to  its  chief 
Morgan  was  the  chief — Morgan,  with  whom  those  hardy 
fellows  had  wrestled  and  fought,  and  kicked  up  all  sorts 

*  In  the  antnmn  of  1775,  the  British  ministiy  conclnded  a  bai^n  with  some  of 
the  petty  Qerman  princes  for  die  use  of  serenteen  thousand  troops  in  America.  The 
landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel,  having  famished  the  most  considerable  portion  of  these 
mercenaries,  all  that  came  over  in  the  spring  of  1776,  were  called  by  the  general 
name  of  EMani.  Many  of  them  ignorant,  bmtal,  and  blood-thirsty,  were  hated 
b/  the  patriots,  and  despised  even  by  the  regular  English  army.  They  were  always 
employed  at  posts  of  greatest  danger,  or  in  expeditions  least  creditable.  These 
troops  cost  the  British  goremment  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars,  besides  the  neces- 
sity, according  to  the  contract,  of  defending  the  little  principalities  thus  stripped, 
against  their  foes.  A  large  portion  of  them  were  pressed  iuto  the  service,  and  drag^ 
ged  away  from  their  families;  and  great  numbers  of  them  deserted  before  the  close  of 


270  RBCOUJBOnONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

of  a  dust  for  a  long  time.  When  Morgan  cried,  with  his 
martial  inspiration,  ^  Come,  boys,  who's  for  the  camp  be- 
fore Cambridge,"  the  mountaineers  turned  out  to  a  man. 
Short  was  their  "note  of  preparation.''  The  blanket 
buckled  to  their  backs,  their  baggage,  a  supply  of  food 
in  their  pouches,  scanty  as  an  Aborigine  would  take  for 
a  long  march,  their  commissariat — they  grasped  their 
rifles,  and  strode  away  to  the  North,  a  band  of  young 
giants,  for  the  combats  of  liberty. 

The  Americans  may  be  said  at  this  time  to  have  no 
national  costume — all  borrowed  from  abroad.  They 
^  order  things"  better  in  Scotland.  There  the  Gael  ad- 
hei:e8  to  the  martial  habiliments  of  his  ancestors,  proud 
of  their  renowned  recollections,  and  jealous  of  the  pecu- 
liar colors  of  his  tartan.  Amid  the  cruel  persecutions  of 
Forty-five,'*'  was  the  proscription  of  the  Highland  costume ; 
which  is,  in  truth,  the  only  relic  of  the  ancient  Roman 
dress.  What  British  ministry  would  proscribe  it  now. 
They  hail  with  joy  the  philebeg  and  hose,  whose  waiv 
riors  have  covered  their  arms  with  glory  in  every  quarter 
of  the  world.  From  the  time  that  the  old  Highland 
watch,  the  renowned  "  Fortie-twa^"t  first  embarked  for 

*  This  has  reference  to  the  actioQ  of  the  British  goyemment  after  the  rising  of 
the  Scotch  in  1745,  in  favor  of  Charles  Edward,  grandson  of  James  II.  of  England, 
who  claimed  a  right  to  the  British  throne.  Thej  were  pat  down  in  1746,  and  many 
sniTered  punishments. 

t  The  celebrated  forty-second  regiment  of  the  British  in&ntrj,  known  as  the  Royal 
Highlanders.  It  was  oi^ganized  in  May,  1740.  It  was  embodied  in  Perthshue,  Scot- 
land, in  1730,  as  a  local  corps,  and  was  widely  known  as  the  "Black  Watch,"  the 
privates  even,  being  gentlemen  by  birth  and  fortune.  It  was  first  called  the  forty- 
third  regiment,  and  was  then  nnmbered  as  tlie  forty-second  in  1749.  It  was  made 
"royal"  in  1758,  by  George  II.,  as  a  testimony  of  his  approbation  of  the  "eztrsr 
ordinaiy  courage  and  exemplary  conduct  of  the  Highland  regiment" 

This  gallant  corps  has  been  abroad  on  active  service  more  than  sixty-four  years, 
and  in  England  and  Ireland  thirty-five  —  only  thirteen  years  being  spent  in  Scol- 


THE  HUNTmChSHIBT.  271 

foreign  service,  down  to  the  present  hour,  in  every  action 
where  they  have  been  engaged,  in  every  quarter  of  the 
world,  the  friend  and  the  foeman  have  alike  awarded 
glory  to  the  kilts.  But  suppose,  for  a  moment^  yielding 
to  the  "  march  of  intellect,''  you  disrobe  Donald  of  his 
trews,  and  fit  him  with  ^braw  breeks,"  in  their  stead — 
adieu,  then,  adieu  to  the  magic  influence  of  the  soul* 
stirring  pipes ;  no  longer  will  the  awful  cry  of  Claymore 
drive  him  headlong  into  the  ranks  of  the  foe ;  and  soon, 

land.  It  has  serred  in  twenty- Dine  expeditions  and  campaig;ns,  and  has  been  en- 
gaged in  more  than  fifty  battles,  sieges,  and  skirmishes.  The  following  is  a  list  of 
the  principal  campaigns  and  actions  of  note  in  which  it  has  distinguished  itself: — 

At  the  bloody  battle  of  Fontenoy,  in  1745 ;  the  descent  on  the  coast  of  France  and 
the  siege  of  L'Oricnt,  in  1746 ;  the  raising  of  the  siege  of  Hnlse,  and  the  campaign 
in  Soath  Beveland,  in  1747 ;  the  attack  on  Ticonderoga,  in  1758 ;  that  on  Martinique 
and  the  captare  of  Gaadalonpe ;  the  expedition  to  Lakes  Qeoi^ge  and  Champlain, 
under  General  Amherst,  including  the  surrender  by  the  French  of  Crown  Point  and 
Ticonderoga,  in  1759 ;  the  surrender  of  Montreal,  in  1760;  the  capture  of  Martinique, 
liege  of  the  Moro  castle  and  capture  of  Havana,  in  1762;  the  campaigns  against 
the  North  American  Indians  in  1769,  1764,  and  1765. 

During  our  War  for  Independence  the  forty-second  was  present  at  the  battles  of 
Brooklyn  and  Long  Island,  and  the  capture  of  Fort  Washington,  in  1776 ;  Brandy- 
wine  and  Germantown,  1777;  Monmouth,  1778;  Eliiabethtown,  1779;  siege  of 
Charleston,  1780,  and  many  minor  affairs. 

During  the  war  of  the  first  French  Revolution,  the  forty-second  was  engaged  in 
the  battles  of  Niouport,  1793;  Qildermaison,  1795 ;  the  capture  of  St.  Lucia  and  St 
Yincent,  1796,  and  Minorca,  1798.  In  Egypt,  it  was  present  in  the  several  actions 
under  Abercrombie,  and  gained  the  red-feather  as  a  particular  mark  of  distinction  for 
its  gallantry  there.  The  regiment  was  also  in  Moore's  campaign  in  Portugal  and 
Spain,  the  disastrous  retreat  to  Corunna  and  the  fierce  fight  there,  in  1808-9.  It 
was  in  the  unfortunate  Walcheren  expedition;  fought  in  the  battle  of  Salamanca; 
was  at  the  siege  of  and  retreat  from  Burgos,  and  in  the  battles  in  and  near  the  Py- 
renees— Nivelle,  Nive,  Orthes,  and  finally  at  Thonlonse  —  which  terminated  Wel- 
lington's campaigns  in  Spain  and  the  occupation  of  that  country  by  the  French 
armies.  The  regiment  was  in  the  bloody  battle  of  Qnatre  Bras,  and  distinguished 
itself  a  few  days  after  in  the  awful  struggle  at  Waterloo.  Since  then  they  hare 
maintained  their  well-earned  reputation  in  the  Crimea  and  in  India. 

The  forty-second  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  all  the  Scotch  regiments  now  in  the  British 
army;  the  others  are  the  seventy-first,  seventy-second,  seventy-third,  seventy-fourth, 
seventy-fifth,  seventy-sixth,  seventy-eighth,  ninety-first,  ninety-second,  and  ninety- 
thhd. 


272  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

very  soon,  would  there  be  a  farewell  to  the  glories  of  the 
«forty-twa." 

And  should  not  Americans  feel  proud  of  the  garb,  and 
hail  it  as  national,  in  which  their  fathers  endured  such 
toil  and  privation,  in  the  mighty  struggle  for  Independ- 
ence, which  is  associated  with  so  many  and  imposing 
events  of  the  days  of  trial — the  march  across  the  firozen 
wilderness,  the  assault  on  Quebec,'*'  the  triumphs  of  Sar- 
atogaf  and  the  King's  mountain  ?I  But  a  little  while, 
and  of  a  truth,  the  hunting-shirt,  the  venerable  emblem 
of  the  Revolution,  will  have  disappeared  from  among  the 
Americans,  and  only  to  be  found  in  museums,  like  ancient 
armor,  exposed  to  the  gaze  of  the  curious. 

*  Arnold's  expedition  in  the  automn  of  1775,  and  the  siege  of  Quebec,  where 
they  were  made  prisoners.    See  page  S67. 

t  When  General  Baxgoyne,  with  a  lai^  invading  armj  that  had  penetrated  from 
Canada,  was  obliged  to  surrender  to  the  republicans,  under  General  Gates. 

X  Early  in  the  autumn  of  1780,  Corawallis,  who  held  South  Carolina  in  subjec- 
tion, resolved  to  invade  the  North  State.  As  a  part  of  his  plan,  he  sent  Major 
Patrick  Ferguson  to  embody  the  tories  among  the  mountains,  west  of  the  Broad 
river.  Early  in  October  he  crossed  that  stream  with  a  considerable  force,  and  en- 
camped among  the  hills  of  King's  mountain.  There  he  was  attacked  on  the  seventh 
by  several  corps  of  whig  militia.  A  bloody  contest  ensued,  and  the  republicans 
were  victorious.  Ferguson  was  dain,  and  three  hundred  of  his  men  were  killed  and 
wounded.  Eight  hundred  of  them  were  made  prisoners.  There  were  many  hunting- 
shirts  in  the  republican  ranks  on  that  day. 


wjusHxmroN's  H£ai)quabixb&  273 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Washington's  headquarters. 

HBADQUAxms  AYMo^BDTowir— YaxutFoms  A2n>  RsAasociATioim— Pbztatioiibtibbx 
—  CoirwAT^  Cabal— Allzanoc  inm  Fxakcc  Pboolaimxd— Hxadqvastxxs  vksbb  Cax- 
TAte— BAirquBTDro  axd  SLmrara  Mabovkss— WASimOTOir  wrrHiir  thxm—ThsMaku 
or  Tin  lCAsqu»— Ths  Lxn-Ov aio  —  €k>ynaroB  Tbitiibuix—Putkax  flTABixxo  roB 

VHB  OAXr  —  WANIIKOTOir't  AVFBAX.  FOB   AMUCABOB— BCBMm  XB   GOTBBMOB  TBUXBUU.^ 
PBBBBOB— TKB   OoTBBMOB'B   PATBXOXmM  — SUPniBS  PBOOmBD—JOT  OB  nOEIB  Abbital 

— TBimmx^  TWO  Sohb—O attain  Moixt  axd  tub  CoioiAirDBB-zii-OHXBr— Old  Boi/« 

DXBBfl  AT  THB  PbBBXDBKTXAL  MaKSION  —  BBTEBBITCB  FOB  HXADQUABTBBI. 

Many  of  the  estaljlishments  that  constituted  the  head- 
quarters during  the  Revolution  yet  remain  for  the  vene- 
ration of  the  Americans*    At  Cambridge,f  Morristown,J 

*  This  chapter  was  fint  pnbliahed  in  the  National  JtOeUigenoer,  on  the  twenty-third 
ofFebniary,  1843. 

t  Washington's  residence  daring  the  time  a  portion  of  the  American  armj  oocn- 
pied  Cambridge,  near  Boston,  from  the  spring  of  1775  until  that  of  1776,  is  yet 
standing,  and  is  well  preserved.  It  was  known  as  the  Cragie  House,  and  has  been 
for  many  years  the  property  and  residence  of  Professor  Henry  Wadsworth  Long- 
fellow, the  poet  It  is  a  spacions  bnilding,  standing  at  the  upper  of  two  terraces, 
which  are  ascended  by  five  stone  steps.  At  each  front  of  the  house  is  a  lofty  elm, 
mera  saplings  when  Washington  was  there.  Eyerything  within  is  sacredly  pre- 
served in  its  ancient  style,  for  the  hand  of  the  iconoclast,  Improvement,  has  not  been 
allowed  to  strike  a  single  blow  there. 

I  The  house  in  which  Washington  resided  at  Morxistown  is  well  preserved.  It  is 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  eastward  of  the  Tillage  green.  Washington  first  occupied 
it  in  the  winter  of  1777,  after  his  brilliant  achievements  at  Trenton  and  Princeton. 
He  was  again  there  during  the  winter  of  1779-'80.  During  the  war  it  was  the  resi- 
dence of  Widow  Ford,  mother  of  the  late  Judge  Gabriel  Ford,  who  lived  there  until 
his  death,  which  oocurred  a  few  years  ago.  It,  too,  is  quite  a  spacious  mansion, 
pleasantly  situated  near  the  highway.  There  in  the  autumn  of  1848,  while  Judge 
Ford  was  yet  living,  I  passed  a  night,  and  slept  in  the  room  occupied  by  General 
Washington  and  his  lady.  The  carpet  and  some  of  the  furniture  were  the  same 
that  belonged  to  the  room  when  that  illustrious  couple  occupied  it. 

18 


274  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHmGTON. 

Newburgh,*  New  Windsor^f  West  Point^J  and   other 
places,   the   buildings  are   still  preserved;  but  of  the 

*  The  headquarten  at  Newbargh  presents  a  point  of  great  attraction  to  tonrists 
on  the  Hudson  during  the  snmmer  season.  It  is  a  rather  small,  old-fashioned  Dutch 
house,  fronting  the  rirer,  and  now  belongs  to  the  state  of  New  York,  it  having  come 
into  its  possession  by  foredosure  of  a  mortgage.  It  is  in  charge  of  the  public  author- 
ities at  Newbni^h,  and  has  been  thoroughly  repaired,  care  having  been  taken  to 
presenre  the  ancient  form  of  erery  part  that  was  renewed.  It  was  dedicated  to  the 
public  service  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  on  the  fourth  of  July,  1850,  when  Major- 
General  Wtnfield  Scott,  who  was  present,  hoisted  the  American  flag  upon  a  lofty 
staiF  that  had  just  been  erected  near.  At  the  foot  of  that  flag-staff,  as  we  have 
already  observed,  the  last  survivor  of  Washington's  Life-Guard  Kes  buried. 

The  front  door  of  this  mansion  opens  into  a  large  square  room,  which  was  used 
by  Washington  for  his  public  audiences,  and  as  a  dining  hall.  It  is  remarkable  as 
having  seven  doors,  and  only  one  window.  In  the  December  number  of  the  New 
York  Mirror  for  1834,  is  an  interesting  account  of  this  old  building,  by  Gulian  C. 
Verplanck,  Esq.  He  relates  the  following  anecdote  connected  with  this  room, 
which  he  received  from  Colonel  Nicholas  Fish,  father  of  the  late  governor  of  the 
state  of  New  York.  Just  before  Lafayette's  death,  himself  and  the  American  minis- 
ter, with  several  of  his  countrymen,  were  invited  to  dine  at  the  house  of  the  dis- 
tinguished Frenchman,  Marbois,  who  was  the  French  secretary  of  legation  here  dur- 
ing the  Revolution.  At  the  supper  hour  the  company  were  shown  into  a  room  which 
contrasted  quite  oddly  with  the  Parisian  elegance  of  the  other  apartments  where  they 
had  spent  the  evening.  A  low  boarded,  painted  ceiling,  with  lai^e  beams,  a  single 
small,  uncurtained  window,  with  numerous  small  doors,  as  well  as  the  general  style 
of  the  whole,  gave,  at  first,  the  idea  of  the  kitchen,  or  largest  room  of  a  Dutch  or 
Belgian  farm-house.  On  a  long  rough  table  was  a  repast,  just  as  little  in  keeping 
-  with  the  refined  kitchens  of  Paris  as  the  room  was  with  its  architecture.  It  consisted 
of  a  large  dish  of  meat,  uncouth-looking  pastry,  and  wine  in  decanters  and  bottles, 
accompanied  by  glasses  and  silver  mugs,  such  as  indicated  other  habits  and  tastes 
than  those  of  modem  Paris.  "  Do  yon  know  where  we  now  are  ?"  said  the  host  to 
Lafayette  and  his  companions.  They  paused  for  a  few  minutes  in  surprise.  They 
had  seen  something  like  this  before,  but  when  and  where  ?  "  Ah  I  the  seven  doors 
and  one  window,"  said  Lafayette,  **  and  the  silver  camp-goblets,  such  as  the  mar- 
shals of  France  used  in  my  youth  I  We  are  at  Washington's  headquarters  on  the 
Hudson,  fifty  years  ago  1" 

t  Washington  lived  in  a  plain  Dutch  house  at  New  Windsor,  which  has  long 
since  passed  away.  He  occupied  it  first  on  the  twenty-third  of  June,  1779,  and 
again  toward  the  close  of  1780,  where  he  remained  until  the  summer  of  1781.  In 
that  humble  tenement,  Mrs.  Washington  entertained  the  most  distinguished  officers 
and  their  ladies,  as  well  as  the  most  obscure,  who  sought  her  friendship.  New 
Windsor  village  is  about  two  miles  bek>w  Newburgh. 

I  Washington  never  remained  at  West  Point  long  at  a  time,  and,  properly 
speaking,  he  had  no  headquarters  there.    At  this  time  not  a  single  building  of  any 


Washington's  hfadquarters.  275 

Valley  Forge  it  is  doubtful  whether  there  exists  at  this 
time  any  remains  of  the  headquarters  so  memorable  in 
the  history  of  the  days  of  trial  * 

If  the  headquarters  at  Morristown  were  bleak  and 
gloomy,  from  being  located  in  a  moimtainous  region,  and 
occupied  in  the  depth  of  winter,f  the  soldier  was  cheered 
amid  his  privations  by  the  proud  and  happy  remembrance 
of  his  triumphs  at  the  close  of  the  campaign  of  1776. J 

kind  remains  that  was  standing  on  or  near  the  Point  daring  the  BeToIation. 
There  may  be  seen  the  monnds  of  Fort  Clinton,  and  upon  the  mountain,  westward, 
five  hundred  feet  abore  the  plateau  on  which  the  MiliUry  Academy  now  stands, 
may  be  seen  the  grey  ruins  of  Fort  Putnam,  finely  relieyed  by  surrounding  over- 
greens.  Nearly  opposite  West  Point,  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Hudson,  is  the 
well-preserved  mansion  of  Beverly  Robinson,  where  Arnold  had  his  quarters,  and 
from  which  he  fled  for  refuge  on  board  the  British  sloop-of-war  VuUttn. 

*  The  Potts  House,  the  residence  of  Washington  at  Valley  Forge,  is  well-pre- 
served. It  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  valley,  near  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill.  It  is  a 
substantial  stone  building.  The  main  portion  was  erected  by  Isaac  Potts  (who  had 
ironworks  there),  in  1770.  A  wing,  used  as  a  kitchen,  is  on  the  site  of  the  log  ad- 
dition to  which  Mrs.  Washington  thus  alluded  in  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Mercy  Warren, 
written  in  the  spring  of  1778 :  "  The  general's  apartment  is  very  small ;  he  has  had  a 
log  cabin  built  to  dine  in,  which  has  made  our  quarters  much  more  tolerable  than 
they  were  at  first"  When  I  visited  the  house,  a  few  years  ago,  I  was  shown  a  cavity 
in  the  deep  east  window,  formed  with  a  lid,  in  which  the  commander-in-chief  kept 
his  papers  while  he  resided  there.  Mr.  Potts,  the  Quaker  who  owned  the  house 
when  Washington  occupied  it,  relates  that  one  day  while  the  Americans  were 
encamped  at  Valley  Forge,  he  strolled  up  the  creek,  and  when  not  far  from  his  dam, 
heard  a  solemn  voice.  He  walked  quietly  in  the  direction  of  it,  and  saw  Washing- 
ton's horse  tied  to  a  sapling.  In  a  thicket  near  by  was  the  beloved  chief  upon  his 
knees  in  prayer,  his  cheeks  suffused  with  tears.  Like  Moses  at  the  bush,  Isaac  felt 
that  he  was  upon  holy  ground,  and  withdrew  unobserved.  He  was  much  agitated, 
and,  on  entering  the  room  where  his  wife  was,  he  burst  into  tears.  On  her  inquiring 
the  cause,  he  Informed  her  of  what  he  had  seen,  and  added,  **  If  there  is  any  one  on 
this  earth  whom  the  Lord  will  listen  to,  it  is  George  Washington ;  and  I  feel  a  pre- 
sentiment that  under  such  a  commander  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  our  eventually 
establishing  our  indopendenoe,  and  that  God  in  his  providence  hath  willed  it  so." 

t  Morristown  is  in  the  hill-country  of  East  Jersey,  and  was  considered  a  most 
secure  and  eligible  place  for  a  winter  encampment ;  not  easily  accessible  by  the 
enemy,  and  surrounded  by  a  fertile  country.    • 

X  The  brilliant  achievements  at  Trenton  and  Princeton,  which  led  to  the  speedy 
expulsion  of  the  British  from  New  Jersey,  except  at  Brunswick  and  Amboy. 


276  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

Not  such  were  the  associations  that  attended  the  head- 
quarters at  Valley  Forge,  at  the  close  of  the  campaign 
of  1777.  The  American  army,  defeated  in  two  hard- 
fought  general  engagements,*  beheld  its  enemy  comfort- 
ably housed  in  Philadelphia,  while  it  was  compelled  at 
an  inclement  season  to  retire  to  a  forest^  there  to  erect 
huts  for  shelter,  and  where  it  afterwards  endured  the 
greatest  extremities  of  human  suffering.f    But  Wash- 

*  Brmndywine  and  Gennaiitown. 

t  The  courage  of  the  battle-field  dwindles  almost  into  insignificance  when  com- 
pared with  that  snbllme  heroism  displayed  bj  the  American  soldiery  at  Valley 
Foiige,  in  the  midst  of  frost  and  snow,  disease  and  destitution.  They  had  marched 
and  countermarched,  day  and  night,  in  endeavoring  to  baffle  the  designs  of  a  powei^ 
fol  enemy  to  their  country  and  its  liberties ;  now  they  were  called  upon,  in  the  midst 
of  comparative  inaction,  to  war  with  enemies  more  insidious,  implacable,  and  per- 
sonal. Hunger  and  nakedness  assailed  that  dreary  winter-camp,  with  all  their  pro- 
geny of  disease  and  woe.  Thither,  as  we  have  seen,  the  soldiers  came  with  naked 
and  bleeding  ibet;  and  there  they  sat  down  where  destitution  held  court,  and 
ruled  with  an  icy  sceptre*  The  prevalence  of  toryism  in  the  vicinity,  the  avaricious 
peculations  of  some  unprincipled  commissioners,  the  tardy  movements  of  Congress 
in  supplying  provisions,  and  the  close  proximity  of  a  powerful  enemy,  combined  to 
make  the  procurement  of  provisions  absolutely  impracticable  without  resort  to  force. 
But  few  horses  were  in  the  camp ;  and  such  was  the  deficiency,  in  this  respect,  for 
the  ordinary,  as  well  as  extraordinary  occasions  of  the  army,  that  the  men,  in  many 
instances,  cheerfully  yoked  themselves  to  vehicles  of  their  own  construction,  for 
carrying  wood  and  provisions  when  procured ;  while  others  performed  the  duty  of 
pack-horses,  and  carried  heavy  burdens  of  fuel  upon  their  backs. — Lo88ing*$  Field- 
Book  of  the  ReocUvHon,  ii.  129. 

On  the  sixteenth  of  February,  1778,  Washuigton  wrote  to  Governor  Clinton, 
"  For  some  days  past  there  has  been  little  less  than  a  famine  in  the  camp.  A  part 
of  the  army  has  been  a  week  without  any  kind  of  flesh,  and  the  rest  three  or  four 
days.  Naked  and  starving  as  they  are,  we  can  not  enough  admire  the  incomparable 
patience  and  fidelity  of  the  soldiery,  that  they  have  not  been,  ere  this,  excited  by 
their  sufferings  to  a  general  mutiny  and  desertion."  —  "  The  situation  of  the  camp 
is  such,"  wrote  General  Yamum  tojGeneral  Greene,  on  the  twelfth  of  February, 
"  that  in  all  human  probability  the  army  must  dissolve.  Many  of  the  troops  are 
destitute  of  meat,  and  are  several  days  in  arrears.  The  horses  are  dying  for  want 
of  forage.  The  country  in  the  vicinity  of  the  camp  is  exhausted.  There  can  not 
be  a  moral  certainty  of  bettering  our  ^condition  while  we  remain  here.  What  con- 
sequences have  we  rationally  to  expect  ?"  — "  It  was  with  great  difficulty,"  says 
Doctor  Thacher,  "  that  men  enough  could  be  found  in  a  condition  fit  to  dischai)re 


Washington's  headquarters.  277 

ington  was  in  the  midst  of  his  faithful  companions  in 
arms,  ever  employed  in  limiting  their  privations,  in  alle- 
viating their  miseries,  and  holding  up  to  them  the  hopes 
of  better  fortunes.  And  oft  in  the  rude  wintry  night, 
when  the  tempest  howled  among  the  hovels,  and  the 
shivering  sentry  paced  his  lonely  round,  would  his  eye 
be  attracted  to  the  taper  that  burned  in  the  headquar- 
ters, where  the  man  of  mighty  labors,  watching  whfle 
others  slept,  toiled  in  the  cause  of  unborn  millions. 

At  the  headquarters  of  the  Valley  Forge  occurred 
some  of  the  most  memorable  incidents  of  the  war  for  Inde- 
pendence. It  was  there  the  general  received  the  appal- 
ling intelligence  that  not  another  ration  was  in  store  to 
issue  to  his  troops.  It  was  there  that  he  was  forced,  by 
a  stem  and  painful  necessity,  to  use  the  high  powers 
vested  in  him  by  Congress,  to  seize  upon  provisions  for 
the  relief  of  his  starving  soldiers.*  It  was  there,  while 
struggling  with  dangers  and  difficulties,  while  borne 
down  with  the  cares  and  sorrows  of  his  country*s  cause, 
that  Washington  was  informed  of  the  cabalf  then  agita- 

the  military  camp  duties  from  day  to  day ;  and  for  this  purpose,  those  vrho  were 
naked  borrowed  of  those  who  had  clothes."  Unprovided  with  materials  to  raise 
their  beds  from  the  ground,  the  dampness  occasioned  sickness  and  death.  "  The 
army,  indeed,  was  not  without  consolation,"  says  Thacher,  "  for  his  excellency,  the 
commander-in-chief,  whom  every  soldier  venerates  and  loves,  manifested  a  fatherly 
concern  and  fellow-feelings,  and  made  every  exertion  in  his  power  to  remedy  the 
evil,  and  to  administer  the  much-desired  relief." 

*  The  Congress,  by  resolution,  authorized  Washington  to  seise  grain,  forage, 
and  other  supplies,  for  the  use  of  the  army,  within  an  area  of  seventy  miles  around 
his  camp,  the  whole  to  be  paid  for.  The  tories  were  so  abundant  in  Pennsylvania 
at  that  time,  that  this  measure  appeared  necessary,  for  they  would  not  sell  provisions 
for  the  "rebel"  camp.  In  February,  Washington  reluctantly  used  his  power,  by 
compelling  the  farmers  to  thrash  out  their  grain.  He  condemned  the  system ;  and  in 
a  letter  to  the  board  of  war,  he  said,  "  Supplies  of  provisions  and  clothing  must  be 
had  in  another  way,  or  the  army  can  not  exist." 

t  This  is  known  in  history  as  Contoay's  Ckibal  a  French  officer  of  Irish  birdi. 


278  REcoixEcnoNS  of  washinqton. 

ting  in  Congress  and  the  army,  for  the  removal  of  the 
commander-in-chief. 

But,  with  all  these  glooms,  there  were  glories  too,  that 
shed  their  lustre  upon  the  headquarters  at  Valley  Forge. 
There  waa  first  proclaimed  to  the  army  the  grateful 
tidings  of  the  alliance  with  France  f  and  it  was  firom 

named  Thomas  Conwaj,  then  holding  the  commission  of  a  brigadier  in  the  Ameri- 
can army,  being  one  of  the  chief  actors  in  the  matter.  Generals  Gates  and  Mifflin 
of  the  army,  and  James  Lorell  and  other  New  England  delegates  in  Congress, 
were  associated  with  Conway  in  the  affair.  The  design  of  the  conspirators  (if 
blundering  and  not  thoroughly  colluding  schemers  may  be  called  conspirators),  was 
to  deprire  Washington  of  the  chief  command  of  the  American  armies,  and  girt  it  to 
General  Gates,  or  General  Lee.  Both  of  these  officers  bad,  from  the  beginning  of 
the  war,  aspired  to  that  honor,  and  Gates  was  fully  identified  with  the  morement  to 
displace  Washington.  Conway  appears  to  have  been  more  the  instrument  o^others 
than  a  roluntary  and  independent  plotter.  The  whole  nefiurions  plan  was  dis- 
corered,  and  recoiled  with  fearful  force  upon  the  conspirators.  Washington  acted 
with  great  judgment  and  forbearance  throughout,  having  an  eye  single  to  the  public 
good.  "  My  enemies,"  he  said,  "  take  an  ungenerous  advantage  of  me.  They 
know  the  delicacy  of  my  situation,  and  that  motives  of  policy  deprive  me  of  the 
defence  I  might  otherwise  make  against  their  insidious  attacks.  They  know  I  can 
not  combat  their  insinuations,  however  injurious,  without  disclosing  secrets  which  it 
is  of  the  utmost  moment  to  conceal." 

*  Early  in  the  struggle,  the  colonists  sent  commissioners  to  Europe  to  solicit  the 
aid  and  friendship  of  the  continental  powers.  The  French  government  evinced 
much  sympathy  for  the  Americans,  extended  some  aid  secretly,  and  promised  more ; 
but,  until  the  capture  of  Bui^goyne,  when  the  Americans  showed  how  able  they  were 
to  help  themselves,  none  of  the  European  powers*  ventured  to  fly  in  the  face  of  Eng- 
land, by  openly  aiding  the  revolted  colonists.  When  that  event  became  known, 
the  aspect  of  American  affairs  wore  a  brighter  hue  abroad;  and  on  the  sixtli  of 
February,  1778,  two  treaties,  one  of  Alliance,  and  the  other  of  Amity  and  Commerce, 
were  concluded  and  signed  by  the  representatives  of  France  and  the  United  States. 
Intelligence  of  this  joyful  event  reached  Washington  at  Valley  Forge,  at  midnight, 
on  the  third  of  May,  and  the  sixth  was  set  apart  for  a  grand  militaiy^/Ste  and  jubilee 
by  the  army.  The  day  was  fine,  and  the  roar  of  artillery  and  shonts  of  the  soldiery 
attested  their  great  joy.  Washington  and  his  general  officers,  with  their  ladies, 
attended  the  religious  services  of  the  New  Jersey  brigade,  and  then  repaired  to  head- 
quarters and  partook  of  a  collation  provided  by  the  commander-in-chief.  The  enter- 
tainment was  concluded  with  patriotic  toasts.  When  the  chief  and  his  suite  with- 
drew for  a  tour  of  inspection,  there  was  a  universal  shout,  "  Long  live  General 
Washington  i"    This  continued  until  they  had  proceeded  some  distance,  when  the 


Washington's  hjbadquabters.  279 

that  scene  of  so  many  trials  and  sufferings  that;  on  the 
return  of  the  genial  season,  the  modem  Fabius  marched 
again  to  grapple  with  his  formidable  and  well-appointed 
foe,  and  to  wrest  from  him,  after  a  most  gallant  and 
hard-fought  conflict^  a  glorious  victory  on  the  plains  of 
Monmouth* 

The  headquarters  were  under  canvass  during  the  siege 
and  after  the  surrender  of  Yorktown.  The  marquees  of 
the  commander-in-chief  were  pitched  in  the  rear  of  the 
grand  battery,  just  out  of  the  range  of  the  enemy's 
shells.f  There  were  two  marquees  attached  to  the 
headquarters  during  all  the  campaigns.  The  larger,  or 
banqueting  tent,  would  contain  firom  forty  to  fifty  per- 
sons ;  the  smaller,  or  sleeping  tent^  had  an  inner-cham- 
ber, where,  on  a  hard  cot-bed,  the  chief  reposed.  There 
are  most  interesting  reminiscences  attached  to  the  sleep- 
ing tent  The  headquarters,  even  during  the  summer 
season,  were  located,  in  a  great  majority  of  instances,  in 
private  dwellings,  the  sleeping  tent  being  pitched  in  the 
yard,  or  very  near  at  hand.  Within  its  venerable  folds, 
Washington  was  in  the  habit  of  seeking  privacy  and 
seclusion,  where  he  could  commune  with  himself,  and 
where  he  wrote  the  most  memorable  of  his  despatches  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.    He  would  remain  in  the  retire- 

genend  and  his  party  turned  and  hatzaed  sereral  times,  while  a  thonsand  hats  were 
tossed  in  the  dr. 

*  See  chapter  on  battle  of  Monmouth. 

t  The  late  Doctor  Eneas  Munson,  of  Now  Haren,  who  was  then  attached  to  the 
medical  staff  of  the  American  army,  informed  me  that  while  7i|^rous  assaults  upon 
two  or  three  English  redoubts  were  in  progress,  Washington  left  his  marquee,  and 
with  Lincoln,  Knox,  and  one  or  two  other  officers,  disengaged  at  the  time,  stood 
within  the  grand  battery,  watching  every  movement  through  the  embrasures.  When 
the  last  redoubt  was  captured,  Washington  turned  to  Knox,  and  said,  "  The  work 
Is  done,  and  tpdl  done ;"  and  then  called  to  his  senrant,  "  BUly,  hand  me  my  horse." 


280  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINOTON. 

ment  of  the  sleeping  tent  sometimes  for  hours,  giving 
orders  to  the  officer  of  his  guard  that  he  should  on  no 
account  be  disturbed,  save  on  the  arrival  of  an  important 
express.  The  objects  of  his  seclusion  being  accomplished, 
the  chief  would  appear  at  the  canvass  door  of  the  mar- 
quee, with  despatches  in  his  hand,  giving  which  to  his 
secretary  to  copy  and  transmit,  he  would  either  mount 
his  charger  for  a  tour  of  inspection,  or  return  to  the 
headquarters  and  enjoy  social  converse  with  his  officers. 

The  marquees  were  made  in  Third  street,  Philadel- 
phia, imder  the  direction  of  Captain  Moulder,  Of  the 
artillery,*  and  were  first  pitched  on  the  heights  of  Dor- 
chester, in  March,  1776.f 

The  Life-Guard  was  attached  to  the  headquarters  fix>m 
the  time  of  its  formation  till  the  end  of  the  war.  This 
chosen  corps  of  picked  men,  with  Gibbs  and  Colfax,  and 
their  gallant  officers,  was  always  in  the  finest  order, 
proud  of  its  being  attached  to  the  person  of  the  chief, 
and  appearing  smart  and  soldierly,  even  in  the  worst 
times. 

In  our  memoirs  of  the  Pater  Patriae,  we  shall  continue 

*  Captain  Moulder  commanded  the  American  artillery  in  the  hattle  at  Prinoeton, 
on  the  third  of  January,  1777. 

t  Washington  took  command  of  the  army  before  Boston,  on  the  third  of  July, 
1775,  and,  with  the  aid  of  General  Gates,  who  was  the  adjutant-general,  prepared 
the  troops  for  a  regular  siege  of  the  city.  It  was  resolved  to  capture  or  expel  the 
invaders,  and  for  this  purpose,  a  line  of  fortifications  was  built,  .extending  from 
Charlestown  Neck,  near  Bunker  Hill,  to  Roxbury.  For  several  months  the  Ameri- 
cans hemmed  in  the  British  army  upon  the  little  peninsubi  on  which  Boston  stands. 
Finally,  early  in  March,  1776,  the  republicans,  under  cover  of  night,  proceeded  to 
Dorchester  heights  with  every  precaution,  and  before  morning  constructed  such  for- 
midable  military  works  there,  that  the  British  commander  was  alarmed  for  the  safety 
of  his  troops  and  shipping.  The  occupation  of  this  eligible  position  led  to  a  speedy 
evacuation  of  Boston  by  the  invaders,  and  the  recovery  of  that  important  positkni 
by  the  Americans. 


wa8hin€(ton'b  headquarters.  2S1 

to  introduce  mme  mention  of  the  distinguished  patriots, 
statesmen,  and  soldiers,  who  enjoyed  his  intimacy  and 
were  dear  to  his  afifections.  High  on  this  honored  list 
appears,  in  bold  relief,  the  name  of  Jonathan  Trumbull, 
the  patriotic  governor  of  Connecticut  during  the  whole 
of  the  Revolution.  He  was,  indeed,  well  fitted  for  the 
times  in  which  he  flourished,  and  such  an  one  as  revolu- 
tion alone  seems  capable  of  producing.  Wise  to  con- 
ceive, and  energetic  to  execute,  his  prudence  equalled 
his  courage  in  the  conspicuous  part  he  was  destined  to 
bear  ill  those  momentous  concerns  that  eventuated  in  the 
independence  of  his  country;  yet  did  he  ^bear  his  high 
offices  so  meekly,**  that  he  was  as  deservedly  beloved  for 
the  mildness  of  his  private  virtues  as  he  was  admired  for 
the  stem  unyielding  integrity  with  which  he  discharged 
his  public  duties.  It  is  enough  for  his  fame,  or  his  epi* 
taph,  that  he  was  a  man  after  Washington's  own  heart"^ 

*  Jonathan  Tntmbnll  was  born  at  Lebanon,  Connecticnt,  on  tbe  nmteenth  of  June, 
1710.  He  was  graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1727,  and  commenced  the  study  of 
theology  with  titie  Reyerend  Solomon  Williams,  of  Lebanon.  The  death  of  an  eMer 
brother,  who  was  engaged  in  mercantile  business  with  his  father,  ftt  Lebanon, 
caused  him  to  become  a  merchant  instead  of  a  clergyman.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  assembly,  where  his  business  capar 
cities  raised  him  rapidly  in  public  estimation.  He  was  elected  lieutenant-goremor 
of  the  colony  in  1766,  and  by  yirtue  of  that  office  became  chief-justice  of  the  superior 
court  His  first  bold  step  in  opposition  to  Great  Britain  was  in  refusing  to  take  the 
oath  enjoined  in  1 768,  which  was  an  almost  unconditional  submission  to  all  the  power 
claimed  by  Parliament ;  nor  would  he  be  present  when  others,  more  timorous  than 
he,  took  it.  Because  of  his  firmness  he  was  elected  goTemor  of  the  colony  in  1769, 
and  he  had  the  proud  distinction  of  being  the  only  colonial  governor,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Revolution,  who  espoused  the  cause  of  the  colonies.  He  was  con- 
sidered the  whig  leader  in  New  England  while  the  Adamses  and  Hancock  were  legis- 
lating in  the  continental  Congress ;  and  during  the  whole  contest  no  man  was  moro 
implicitly  relied  upon  as  a  firm,  consistent,  and  active  friend  of  liberty,  than  Gov- 
ernor Trumbull.  "  General  Washington  relied  on  him,"  says  Sparks,  "  as  one  of  his 
main  pillars  of  support."  In  1783,  when  peace  for  the  colonies  returned,  Governor 
Trumbull,  then  se^^enty-three  yean  of  age,  declined  a  re-election  to  the  office  of  gov- 


282  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

When  the  news  arrived  in  Connecticut  of  the -battle 
of  Lexington,"^  Putnam^  who  was  ploughing  in  his  field, 
instantly  repaired  to  the  governor  for  orders.  "Go," 
said  Trumbull,  *  to  the  scene  of  action.'* — "But  my 
clothes,  governor?" — "Oh,  never  mind  your  clothes," 
continued  Trumbull, "  your  military  experience  will  be 
of  service  to  your  countrymen." — "But  my  men,  gov- 
ernor j  what  shall  I  do  about  my  men?" — "Oh,  never 
mind  your  men,"  continued  the  man  for  the  times,  "I'll 
send  your  men  after  you."  Putnam  hurried  to  Cam- 
bridge.f  •■ 

ernor,  which  he  had  held  foarteen  oonsecutivo  yean.  He  retired  from  pnblic  life, 
bnt  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy,  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  the  qoiet  he  eo  mach  coreted. 
He  was  seized  with  a  malignant  fever  in  August,  1785,  and  on  the  seventeenth  of 
that  month  died,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 

*  When,  in  1774,  it  became  evident  to  the  Americans  that  war  was  inevitable,  nn 
less  they  would  consent  to  be  slaves,  they  began  to  prepare  for  conflict.  In  Massa- 
chusetts, in  particular,  the  republican  leaders  labored  with  great  zeal  to  place  the 
province  in  a  condition  to  rise  in  open  and  united  rebellion,  when  necessity  should 
demand  it.  Governor  Gage,  in  Boston,  became  alanned,  and  commenced  fortifying 
the  Neck.  The  exasperated  people  began  to  collect  munitions  of  war,  and  soon  pub- 
lic affairs  were  like  a  sleeping  volcano. 

In  April,  1775,  Gage  had  three  thousand  British  troops  in  Boston,  ready  to  sup- 
port the  governor  in  any  oppressive  measure  which  he  might  choose  to  employ.  He 
felt  uneasy  concerning  some  ammunition  and  stores  which  the  republicans  had 
gathered  at  Concord,  sixteen  miles  from3otton,  and  on  the  night  of  the  eighteenth 
of  April,  he  sent  out  a  secret  expedition  to  destroy  them.  Vigilant  patriots  gave 
the  alarm,  and  when  the  ministerial  troops  approached  Lexington,  a  few  miles  from 
Concord,  in  the  gray  of  early  morning,  they  found  seventy  determined  men  standing 
upon  the  green,  ready  to  oppose  them.  Pitcaim,  the  leader  of  the  advanced  corps, 
ordered  them  to  lay  down  their  arms  and  disperse.  They  stood  firm.  The  British 
fired.  A  skirmish  ensued,  and  several  of  the  citizens  were  killed  and  wounded.  The 
British  then  went  on  to  Concord,  had  a  fight  with  the  Americans  there,  and  finding 
the  whole  country  rising,  retreated  to  Boston,  with  great  loss. 

t  Israel  Putnam  was  bom  in  Salem,  Massachusetts,  on  the  seventh  of  January, 
1718,  and  at  Pomfret,  Connecticut,  he  cultivated  land  during  many  of  the  earlier  years 
of  his  life.  He  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  some  of  the  first  troops  raised  in  Con 
necticnt  for  the  French  and  Indian  war  in  1755,  and  during  the  whole  of  that  long 
contest  he  was  distinguished  for  bravery,  in  the  wilds  of  northern  New  York.  He 
distinguished  himself  at  Bunker  Hill,  at  the  head  of  Connecticut  troops  in  1775,  and 


Washington's  headquarters.  283 

One  of  the  most  urgent  appeals  for  assistance  that 
ever  emanated  from  the  American  headquarters  was  con- 
tained in  a  despatch  to  the  governor  of  Connecticut.  It 
was  dated  from  the  camp,  near  the  North  river,  in  the 
latter  years  of  the  war.* 

Governor  Trumbull  was  alone  in  his  room  of  business ; 
on  the  table  were  various  letters  and  despatches,  some 

a  few  days  afterward  was  appointed  by  the  continental  Congress  one  of  the  four 
major-generals  of  the  grand  army.  He  served  his  country  faithfully  until  1779, 
when  partial  panilysis  prostrated  him.  His  mind  preserved  its  elasticity  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  at  Brooklyn,  Connecticut,  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  May,  1790, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 

«  This  despatch  was  a  circular  letter,  which  was  sent  to  the  governors  of  each  of 
(he  eastern  states.  It  was  dated  at  "New  Windsor,  10th  May,  1781.*'  After 
stating  that  General  Heath  had  consented  to  vbit  the  New  England  states  to  "  repre- 
sent the  present  distresses  of  the  army  for  want  of  provision,"  &c.,  Washington  said, 
"  From  the  poet  at  Saratoga  to  that  of  Dobb's  ferry  inclusive,  I  believe  there  is  not 
(by  the  returns  and  report  I  have  received)  at  this  moment  one  day's  supply  of  meat 
for  the  army  on  hand.  Our  whole  dependence  for  this  article  is -on  the  eastern 
states ;  their  resources,  I  am  persuaded,  are  ample.  To  request  and  uige  that  they 
may  be  drawn  forth  regularly,  and  to  be  inforced  with  precision  and  certainty,  what 
may  absolutely  be  depended  upon  through  the  campaign,  are  the  objects  of  this  ap- 
plication. 

"  I  have  already  made  representations  to  the  sutes  of  the  want  of  provisions,  the 
distress  of  the  army,  and  the  innumerable  embarrassments  we  have  suffered  in  con- 
sequence ;  not  merely  once  or  twice,  but  have  reiterated  them  over  and  over  again. 
I  have  struggled  to  the  utmost  of  my  ability  to  keep  the  army  together,  but  it  will 
be  in  vain  without  the  effectual  assistance  of  the  states.  I  have  now  only  to  repeat 
the  alternative,  which  has  been  so  often  nidged,  that  supplies,  particularly  of  beef 
cattle,  must  be  speedily  and  regularly  provided,  or  our  posts  can  not  be  maintained, 
nor  the  army  kept  in  the  field  much  longer.  I  entreat  your  excellency,  that  this 
representation  may  be  received  in  the  serious  light  it  is  meant  and  deserves,  or  that 
I  may  stand  exculpated  from  the  dreadful  consequences,  which  must  otherwise  in- 
evitably follow  in  a  very  short  time." 

A  few  days  afterward,  Washington  held  a  conference  with  Rochambeau,  at 
Weathersfield,  in  Connecticut,  and  from  that  place  he  wrote  another  urgent  circular 
letter.  In  his  Diary  of  the  twentieth  of  May,  he  wrote :  "  Had  a  good  deal  of  pri- 
vate conversation  with  Governor  Trumbull,  who  gave  it  to  me  as  his  opinion,  that  if 
any  important  offensive  operations  should  be  undertaken,  he  had  little  doubt  of  our 
obtaining  men  and  provisions  adequate  to  our  wants.  In  this  opinion  Colonel 
Wadsworth  and  others  concurred." 


284  B£0OLLECnONS  OF  WASmNOTON. 

just  opened  and  others  sealed  for  immediate  transmission ; 
a  cocked-hat,  of  the  cut  and  fashion  of  the  days  of  George 
TL,  the  governor's  sole  insignia  of  office,  was  also  on  the 
table,  whfle  the  chief  magistrate  himself  was  busily  en- 
gaged in  writing. 

An  aid-de-camp  of  the  commander-in-chief  was  intro- 
duced, much  worn  and  ^  travel  stained"  from  the  haste 
of  his  journey.    The  governor  rose,  and,  while  cordially 

welcoming  Colonel ,  inquired  after  the  health  of  his 

excellency,  and  what  news  from  the  army.  The  aid-de- 
camp replied  that  the  general  was  well,  and  the  news 
from  the  army  of  a  very  sombre  character,  and  presented 
a  letter.  The  letter  was  very  short  It  contained  an 
apology  from  Washington  for  having  applied  for  assist- 
ance where  it  had  been  so  often  and  so  liberally  rendered 
before,  but  continued  that  the  situation  of  the  army  was 
critical  in  the  extreme,  the  country  adjacent  to  the  camp 
being  completely  exhausted,  as  well  by  the  enemjr^s  as 
by  his  own  foraging  parties ;  and  concluded  by  lamenting 
that^  unless  supplies  could  be  speedily  obtained,  he  should 
be  obliged  to  abandon  his  position,  and  fall  back  into  the 
interior  to  obtain  the  necessary  subsistence  for  the  troopa 

The  governor  pondered  for  a  moment  upon  the  con- 
tents of  the  letter,  then  rising,  and  cordially  grasping  the 
colonel  by  the  hand,  observed,  in  a  firm  yet  cheerful 
tone,  "When  you  return  to  camp,  bear  with  you,  my 
dear  sir,  my  love  and  duty  to  his  excellency,  and  say  to 
him  that  brave  old  Connecticut,  patriotic  Connecticut,  is 
not  quite  exhausted,  but  for  every  barrel  of  provisions 
she  has  furnished  to  the  cause  of  liberty,  she  will  furnish 
another,  and  yet  another,  to  the  same  glorious  cause :  say 
further,  that  on  such  a  day  our  teams  may  be  looked  for 


riASBmmomfa  HBADQnABTER&  285 

on  the  bank  of  the  North  river/'  The  aid-de-camp  de- 
parted rejoicing. 

And  now  the  patriot  became  ^  every  inch"  the  execu- 
tive officer.  From  his  intimate  acquaintance  with  the 
resources  of  his  native  state,  he  knew  exactly  where 
those  resources  were  to  be  obtained,  and  their  fiunlities 
for  transportation,  for  with  him  everything  was  done  by 
method  and  regularity.  His  orders  flew  in  all  directions. 
And  his  orders  were  obeyed. 

Meantime,  the  return  of  the  aid-de-camp  to  head- 
quarters with  intelligence  of  the  promised  supplies  dif- 
fused a  general  gladness  throughout  the  army.  When 
the  expected  day  arrived,  many  an  anxious  eye  was 
turned  to  the  road  leading  from  the  eastward  to  the 
landing  on  the  North  river.'*'  A  dust  is  seen  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  presently  are  heard  the  cries  of  the  teamsters, 
urging  their  fine  oxen,  while  the  heavy-laden  wains  groan 
under  their  generous  burdens.  A  shout  rings  through 
the  American  camp,  and  the  commander-in-chie^  attend- 
ed by  his  officers,  ride  to  an  eminence  to  witness  the  ar- 
rival of  the  welcome  supplies. 

Governor  Trumbull  had  .two  sons  attached  to  the 
headquarters:  John,  the  distinguished  artist^  and  the 
lad  of  the  cdck-de^amp^-f  and  Jonathan,  military  secre- 

*  Fbhkill  landing,  opposite  Kewburgh. 

t  John  Trambali  was  born  in  Lebanon,  Connecticat,  in  Jane,  it 56.  He  oom- 
menced  hU  career  as  a  painter  at  the  age  of  eighteen  yean.  He  had  been  grada- 
ated  at  Harvard  college  the  previoos  year.  His  flnt  historical  composition,  the 
Battle  of  CanfMB,  was  painted  in  1774.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Bevolationary 
war  he  entered  the  army  as  adjutant  of  the  first  Connecticut  regiment,  and  went  to 
Boxbury,  near  Boston.  Washington  heard  of  his  talent  for  drawing,  and  employed 
him  to  sketch  a  draught  of  the  enemy's  works.  His  success  commended  the  young 
painter  to  Washington,  and  in  August,  the  commander-in-chief  appointed  him  his 
^d-de-camp.  In  1776  he  was  in  the  northern  department,  under  Gates.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  left  the  army,  and  resumed  his  profession  at  Boston.    He  went  first 


286  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

tary  to  the  commander-in-chief  at  the  siege  of  York- 
town* 

Among  the  great  variety  of  persons  and  character  that 
were  to  be  found  from  time  to  time  at  and  about  the 
headquarters,  was  the  famed  Captain  Molly,  already 
mentioned  in  the  chapter  on  the  Battle  of  Monmouth. 
After  her  heroic  achievements  at  the  battle  of  Mon- 
mouth, the  heroine  was  always  received  with  a  cordial 
welcome  at  headquarters,  where  she  was  employed  in 
the  duties  of  the  household.  She  always  wore  an  ar- 
tilleryman's coatj  with  the  cocked-hat  and  feather,  the 
distinguishing  costume  of  Proctor^s  artillery.  One  day 
the  chief  accosted  this  remarkable  woman,  while  she  was 
engaged  in  washing  some  clothes,  pleasantly  observing : 
"  Well,  Captain  Molly,  are  you  not  almost  tired  of  this 
quiet  way  of  life,  and  longing  to  be  once  more  on  the 
field  of  battler — ^^ Troth,  your  excellency,"  replied  the 
heroine,  " and  ye  may  say  that;  for  I  care  not  how  soon 

to  Paris,  and  then  to  London,  in  1780,  and  in  the  latter  citj  placed  himself  under 
the  instmction  of  Benjamin  West.  The  political  sins  of  his  father  were  visited 
upon  his  head.  On  suspicion  of  his  being  a  secret  rebel  agent,  ho  was  im- 
prisoned eight  months,  and  then  banished  from  the  kingdom.  West  and  Copley 
becoming  his  securities.  He  returned  home  in  January,  1782,  and  formed  a 
connection  with  the  amy,  as  aid  to  the  chief.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
again  went  to  England,  where  he  pursued  his  profession  with  zeal  for  seve- 
ral years.  Finally  he  contemplated  a  series  of  pictures  illustrative  of  American 
history.  He  arrived  in  New  York  in  1789,  and  was  favored  with  sittings  by  Wash- 
ington and  other  distinguished  men  of  the  Bevolution.  Having  collected  much  ma^ 
tcrial,  he  again  went  to  England,  as  private  secretary  to  Mr.  Jay,  the  American  em- 
bassador. He  returned  to  America  in  1804,  but  did  not  remain  long.  He  lived  in 
England  until  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812>'15,  and  then  came  home.  He  was  en- 
gaged to  paint  four  large  pictures  for  the  rotunda  of  the  new  federal  capitol.  These 
pictures  occupied  him  seven  years,  and  are.  Signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
the  Surrender  ofBurgoyne,  the  Surrender  at  Yorkloum,  and  Washington  resigning  his 
Commission,  He  died  in  the  city  of  New  York  on  the  tenth  of  November,  1843,  in 
the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 
*  See  note  on  page  174. 


WASHINGTON'S  HEADQUARTERS.  287 

I  have  another  slap  at  them  red-coats,  bad  luck  to  them.** 
^  But  what  is  to  become  of  your  petticoats  in  such  an 
events  Captain  Molly?" — ^Oh,  long  life  to  your  excel- 
lency, and  never  de  ye  mind  them  at  all  at  all/'  continued 
this  intrepid  female.  "  Sure  and  it  is  only  in  the  artillery 
your  excellency  knows  that  I  would  sarve,  and  divil  a 
fear  but  the  smoke  of  the  cannon  will  hide  my  petti- 
coats." 

The  name  and  memory  of  headquarters  expired  not 
with  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  but  was  preserved  in  the 
Presidoliads  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,*  where  hun- 
dreds of  the  war-worn  veterans  of  the  days  of  trial  re- 
paired, as  they  said,  to  headgfuarierSj  to  pay  their  respects, 
and  inquire  after  the  health  of  his  excellency  and  the 
good  Lady  Washington.  All  were  made  welcome  and 
"  kindly  bid  to  stay ;"  and  while  they  quaffed  a  generous 
glass  to  the  health  of  their  beloved  chief,  the  trimnphs 
of  Trenton  and  Princeton,  of  Monmouth  and  Yorktown, 
"were  freshly  remembered." 

And  poor  Pat,  too,  reverently  with  hat  in  hand,  would 
approach  the  headquarters.  "  To  be  sure,  he  would  say, 
that  he  well  knew  his  excellency  had  no  time  to  spare 
to  the  likes  of  him.  He  just  called  to  inquire  after  his 
honoris  health,  long  life  to  him,  and  the  good  Lady 
Washington,  the  poor  soldier's  friend."  But,  taking  the 
steward  aside,  with  a  knowing  look,  would  observe: 
^  Now,  my  darlint,  if  his  excellency  should  happen  to  in- 

*  The  federal  CongreM  held  its  first  session,  under  the  present  constitution,  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  where  Washington  was  inaugurated  president  of  the  United  States, 
on  the  thirtieth  of  April,  1769.  The  seat  of  goTemment  was  removed  to  Philadel- 
phia in  1790,  the  Congress  assembling  there  on  the  first  Monday  in  December  of  that 
year.  That  city  continued  to  be  the  seat  of  government  until  the  year  1800,  when 
the  Congress  assembled  for  the  first  time  in  the  city  of  Washington. 


288  BECOLLECTIONS  OF  WAflHINOTOir. 

quire  who  it  was  that  called,  just  tell  him  it  was  one  of 
ould  Mad  Anthony's  boys.  Hurrah  for  Ameriky !"  And 
repeating  the  shout  that  so  often  had  rang  above  the 
battle's  roar,  the  veteran  would  go  on  his  way  rejoicing. 
It  may  be,  in  the  course  of  human  events,  that  upon 
the  places  at  Morristown  and  the  Valley  Forge,  where 
the  soldier  of  liberty  erected  his  cheerless  hut,  the  domes 
and  spires  of  cities  may  arise  in  the  splendid  progress  of 
a  mighty  empire,  but  the  patriotic  American  of  that 
future  day,  proud  of  the  fame  of  the  Father  of  his  Country, 
and  glor3dng  in  the  recollections  of  America's  heroic  time, 
will  pass  by  the  palaces  of  pomp  and  power,  to  pay  hom- 
age to  the  mouldering  ruins  of  the  headquarters.* 

*  There  are  sereral  other  bnildings,  besides  those  already  meDtioned,  yet  standing, 
that  were  nsed  as  headquarters  by  Washington.  The  best  presenred  of  them  an 
located  as  follows :  near  Chad's  ford  on  the  Brandywine,  and  at  White  Marsh,  four- 
teen miles  from  Philadelphia,  in  Pennsylvania ;  the  Hopper  house,  four  miles  south 
of  the  Bami4>o  Pass,  an  old  mansion  at  Rocky  Hill,  where  his  faiewell  address 
to  the  army  was  written,  in  New  Jersey;  at  Tappan,  in  Rockland  county,  Quaker 
Hill,  In  Duchess  county,  near  White  Plains,  and  at  Dobb's  ferry,  in  Westchester 
county;  and  at  No.  I  Broadway,  and  Madam  Jumel's  mansion  near  Fort  Wash- 
ington, on  York  or  Manhattan  island,  in  the  state  of  New  York. 


BirSTEBIES  OF  THE  BEVOLUTION.  289 


CHAPTEK  X. 

MYSTERIES  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.* 
Tm  AMVKiOAir  Caxp  nr  Nxw  Jsbbbt— A  Niobt  Soxitb  —  Appbababob  of  ▲  Stbaxobb^ 

A  ClBBOTXAIT  BBBK8  AX  IhTBBTIBW  WITH  WASHHrOTOir  —  HiS  ADXnnOBr  TO  THB  PsBUnroB 

OP  THB  Chixp— Wabhibotov  Wabstd  oonobbbino  Obkbbal  Ghabubb  Lbb»Dootok 
Gbzffrb— €k>BDiroT  or  GBrntBALLBB  at  Monmouth— BzmroTOv  andBbobbtSbbtzob— 
Thb  Qvaxbb  Loak— BiymoTOB  FAiTHPirL— Solvtios  or  thb  Mtstbbt— Wasbzhgtov 
ABD  BiTnoTOK— Sbcbbt  Intbbtxbw  —  BiTiBOTOB'k  MAViniBS — AxousT  or  Sbobxt  Sbb- 

▼ZOB  MOBBT  VfBD  — In  TaLUB  TO  THB  GOUXTBT. 

It  was  Saturday  night,  the  twenty-seventh  of  June, 
1778.  when  the  American  army,  after  a  toilsome  march 
in  a  tropical  heat,  halted  for  rest  and  refreshment  in  the 
coimty  of  Monmouth,  New  Jersey.f  The  weary  soldiers 
were  gathered  in  groups,  some  preparing  the  evening 
meal,  while  others,  exhausted  by  their  march,  threw 
themselves  on  the  groimd  to  seek  repose.  The  short 
night  of  Jvme  was  waning,  the  watch-fires  burned  dimly, 
and  silence  reigned  around.  Not  so  at  headquarters-J 
There  lights  were  seen,  while  the  chief,  seated  at  a  table, 
wrote  or  dictated  despatches,  which  were  folded  and 
directed  by  aid-de-camp  and  secretaries,  while  near  at 
hand  were  expresses,  seated  like  statues  upon  their 
drowsy  horses,  awaiting  orders;  and  ever  and  anon  an 
officer  would  approach  them  with  the  words,  "  This  for 

*  Published  in  the  National  Inidligencer,  on  the  twenty-second  of  Februaiy,  1856. 
t  See  note  on  page  211. 

X  The  American  army  was  encamped  that  night  npon  the  Manatapan  creek,  be- 
tween Cnnberry  and  Englishtown,  a  few  miles  from  Monmouth  courthouse. 

19 


290  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHmOTON. 

Major-General ;  ride  with  speed  and  spare  not  the 

spur;"  and  in  a  moment  the  horseman  would  disappear 
in  the  surrounding  gloom.  Suddenly  a  stranger  appeared 
on  the  scene.  He  wore  no  martial  costume^  neither  had 
he  the  measured  tread  of  the  soldier ;  in  truth  his  appear- 
ance was  anything  but  ndtiiaire.  On  being  challenged 
by  the  sentinel,  he  answered,  "  Doctor  Grifl&th,  chaplain 
and  surgeon  in  the  Virginia  line,  on  business  highly  im- 
portant with  the  commander-in-chief."  The  cry  of  "  Of- 
ficer of  the  guard !"  brought  forth  that  functionary,  so 
necessary  a  personage  in  a  night  camp.*  The  officer 
shook  his  head,  and  waving  his  hand  said,  "  No,  sir,  no ; 
impossible ;  intensely  engaged ;  my  orders  positive ;  can't 
be  seen  on  any  account."  The  reverend  gentleman 
quailed  not,  but  said  to  the  officer  who  barred  his  pas- 
sage, "  Present^  sir,  my  humble  duty  to  his  excellency, 
and  say  that  Doctor  Griffith  waits  upon  him  with  secret 
and  important  intelligence,  and  craves  an  audience  of 
only  five  minutes'  duration." 

The  high  respect  in  which  the  clergy  of  the  American 
army  was  held  by  Washington  was  known  to  every  officer 
and  soldier  in  its  ranks.  This,  together  with  the  impos- 
ing nature  of  the  chaplain's  visit,  induced  the  officer  of 
the  guard  to  enter  the  headquarters  and  report  the  cir- 
cumstance to  the  general.  He,  quickly  returning,  ushered 
the  chaplain  into  the  presence  of  the  commander-in-chief 

Washington,  still  with  pen  in  hand,  received  his  mid- 
night visiter  courteously,  when  Griffith  observed ;  "  The 
nature  of  the  communication  I  am  about  to  make  to 
your  excellency  must  be  my  apology  for  disturbing  you 
at  this  hour  of  the  night.    While  I  am  not  permitted  to 

*  Officer  of  tho  Life-Gnard. 


HTSTEKIES  OF  THE  KEVOLUTION.  291 

divtilge  the  names  of  the  authorities  from  whom  I  have 
obtained  my  infonnation,  I  can  assm'e  you  they  are  of 
the  very  first  order,  whether  in  point  of  character  or 
attachment  to  the  cause  of  American  independence.  I 
have  sought  this  interview  to  warn  your  excellency 
against  the  conduct  of  Major-General  Lee  in  to-morrow's 
battle.  My  duty  is  fulfilled,  and  I  go  now  to  pray  to  the 
God  of  battles  for  success  to  our  arms,  and  that  he  may 
always  have  your  excellency  in  his  holy  keeping."  The 
chaplain  retired,  the  officer  of  the  guard  (by  signal  from 
the  chief)  accompanying  the  reverend  gentleman  to  the 
line  of  the  sentinels.  Doctor  Griffith  survived  the  war 
and  became  rector  of  a  parish  in  which  Washington  wor« 
shipped.  He  was  elected  first  bishop  of  Virginia  under 
the  new  regime,  but  was  never  consecrated.  He  sickened 
and  died  in  Philadelphia^  in  1789.  He  was  a  ripe  scholar, 
a  pious  minister,  and  an  ardent  enthusiast  in  the  cause  of 
American  independence.* 


*  ReTerend  David  Griffith  was  a  native  of  the  citv  of  New  York,  and  was  edu- 
cated partly  there  and  partly  in  England,  for  the  medical  profession.  He  took 
his  degrees  in  London,  returned  to  America,  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  pro- 
fession in  the  interior  of  New  York,  about  the  year  1763.  Having  resolved  to 
enter  the  ministry  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  choreh,  he  went  to  London  in  the 
year  1770,  and  there,  on  the  nineteenth  of  August,  was  ordained  by  Bishop  Terrick. 
He  was  a  missionary  in  West  Jersey  for  a  while,  and  at  the  close  of  1771,  became 
rector  of  Shelbnme  parish,  in  Loudon  county,  Virginia.  In  1776  he  entered  the 
military  service  as  diaplain  to  the  third  Yiiginia  regiment,  and  continued  in  that 
position  until  some  time  in  the  year  1780,  when  he  became  rector  of  Christ  church, 
Alexandria.  There  he  remained  until  his  death,  in  1789.  During  a  huge  portion 
of  that  time  Washington  was  his  parishoner,  and  Doctor  Griffith  frequently  visited 
Mount  Vernon  as  a  welcome  guest  He  was  chosen  bishop  of  Virginia  in  1786, 
but  such  was  the  depressed  state  of  the  church  in  that  diocese,  that  funds  sufficient 
to  defray  bis  expenses  to  London,  to  receive  consecration,  could  not  be  raised.  He 
resigned  all  claims  to  the  office  in  May,  1789,  and  while  attending  the  general  con- 
vention of  the  chureh  at  Philadelphia,  a  few  woeks  later,  died  at  the  house  of  Bishop 
White. 


292  BECOLLECnONS   OF  WASHINOTOK. 

When  the  warning  became  known  in  the  army  it 
created  many  conjectures  as  to  the  sources  from  whence 
the  chaplain  acquired  his  information.  Nothing  ever 
transpired,  and  the  secret  died,  while  the  mystery  re- 
mains to  the  present  time.* 

The  conduct  of  General  Lee  in  the  battle  of  Mon- 
mouth very  fairly  justified  the  warning  of  the  chaplain. 
It  is  certain  that  that  brave  and  skilful  commander  had 
no  leaning  toward  the  enemy,  but  it  is  thought  that  he 
expected,  by  throwing  things  into  confusion,  to  lessen 
the  merits  of  Washington  in  the  public  estimation,  for 
he  aspired  to  be  the  commander  of  the  anny.f 

*  The  author  of  these  RecoUecliona  received  the  foregoing  account  of  the  warning 
given  to  Washington  hj  Doctor  Griffith,  from  Colonel  Nicholas,  of  Virginia,  who 
was  an  officer  of  the  Life-Gnard  at  that  time. 

t  The  charity  for  Lee  expressed  by  the  author  of  these  RecoUections  is  not  justified 
by  i-ecent  revelations.  Lee  undoubtedly  entertained  treasonable  designs  at  that 
moment.  That  he  had  held  treasonable  intercourse  with  the  enemy  previous  to  this 
time,  his  own.  handwriting  bears  testimony.  That  proof  is  in  the  form  of  a  manu- 
script of  eight  foolscap  pages,  in  Lee's  own  peculiar  handwriting,  prepared  while  he 
was  a  prisoner  in  New  York,  and  dated  the  twenty-ninth  day  of  March,  1777,  in 
which  he  submits  to  Lord  and  Sir  William  Howe,  a  plan  for  the  easy  subjugation  of 
the  colonies.  It  is  endorsed  in  the  known  handwriting  of  Lord  Howe's  secretary — 
"  Flan  of  Mr.  Lee,  1777."  In  it  Lee  professed  to  desire  a  cessation  of  bloodshed, 
as  he  considered  the  issue  doubtful.  His  plan  was  to  dissolve  the  system  of  resist- 
ance which  centered  in  the  government  of  Congress.  He  regarded  that  system  as 
depending  chiefly  upon  the  people  of  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Viiginia;  and 
his  plan  looked  to  the  reduction  or  submission  of  Maryland,  and  the  preventing 
Vii;ginia  from  furnishing  aid  to  the  army  then  in  New  Jersey,  and  thus  to  dissolve 
the  whole  machinery  of  resistance.  He  proposed  an  expedition  against  New  Eng- 
land, so  as  to  keep  the  inhabitants  there  at  home,  and  make  it  an  easy  matter  to 
hold  possession  of  New  York  and  the  Jerseys.  He  suggested  that,  simultaneously 
with  this  movement  eastward,  a  considerable  force  should  be  sent  up  the  Chesapeake 
bay,  to  land  at  and  take  possession  of  Annapolis,  and  march  into  the  interior  of 
Maryland  as  far  as  Queen  Anne.  Another  was  to  be  despatched  up  the  Potomac, 
and  take  possession  of  Alexandria,  when  the  two  invading  armies  might  form  a 
junction ;  while  a  third  should  ascend  the  Delaware  and  capture  Philadelphia.  The 
middle  states  would  now  be  in  subjection,  and  New  England  and  the  southern  states 
would  be  too  wide  apart  to  act  in  efficient  concert.    These  things  accomplished, 


MYSTERIES   OP  THE  REVOLUTION.  293 

The  interview  between  Washington  and  Lee,  and  the 
chivalric  enthusiasm  of  Colonel  Hamilton  on  that  occa- 
sion, have  been  already  described  in  our  account  of  that 
battle. 

Of  all  the  mysteries  that  occmred  in  the  American 
Revolution,  the  employment  of  Rivington,  editor  of  the 
Koyal  Gazette,  in  the  secret  service  of  the  American 
commander  is  the  most  astounding.* 

and  the  system  of  resistance  dismembered,  all  that  woald  be  necessary,  to  insnro.a 
complete  sabjogation  of  the  revolted  states  to  the  crown,  would  be  the  issning  of 
proclamations  of  pardon  to  all  who  should  desert  the  republican  standard,  and  return 
to  their  allegiance  to  King  George. 

With  such  evidence  of  his  treason,  it  is  easy  to  interpret  much  in  the  conduct  of 
Lee  which  has  puzzled  the  historian  and  the  student  of  our  history.  By  the  light  of 
this  evidence  we  may  easily  explain  his  conduct  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Washington, 
in  the  Autumn  of  1776,  until  his  disgraceful  retreat  on  the  field  of  Monmouth— his 
tardy  movements  in  New  Jersey,  when  earnestly  appealed  to  by  Washington ;  his 
rq>eated  disobedience  of  orders;  his  capture  by  a  small  party  of  British  light-horse 
in  New  Jersey ;  his  provision  with  a  suit  of  rooms  in  the  City  hall,  New  York, 
while  a  prisoner,  and  his  great  intimacy  with  the  British  officers  there ;  his  refusal 
at  first  to  take  the  required  oath  of  allegiance  at  Valley  Forge ;  his  intimations  of 
the  intended  movements  of  the  enemy  (according  to  the  suggestions  of  his  plan), 
when  they  were  about  to  evacuate  Philadelphia^  his  opposition  to  any  attack  on  Sir 
Henry  Clinton;  and  his  conduct  on  the  field  of  Monmouth.  The  document  con- 
taining the  evidences  of  his  treason  was  discovered  at  the  close  of  1857,  among 
some  papers  said  to  have  been  brought  from  Nova  Scotia,  and  offered  for  sale  in 
New  York.  I  first  perused  it  on  the  second  of  January,  1838.  It  soon  afterward 
became  the  possession  of  Professor  George  H.  Moore,  librarian  of  the  New  York 
Historical  Society;  and  this,  and  other  circumstantial  evidences  of  Lee's  treason, 
were  first  made  known  to  the  world  by  that  gentleman  in  a  paper  read  by  him  before 
that  society  in  June  following. 

*  James  Rivington  was  a  native  of  London,  well  educated,  and  of  pleasing  deport- 
ment He  came  to  America  in  the  year  1760,  and  established  a  bookstore  in  Phila- 
delphia. The  following  year  he  opened  one  near  the  foot  of  Wall  street,  in  New 
York,  where  he  established  a  paper  called  the  Royal  Gcueetteer,  in  1773.  It  was  after- 
wards entitled  the  JRoyal  Gazette,  He  took  the  ministerial  side  in  politics  when  the 
Bevolntion  broke  out,  and  became  very  obnoxious  to  the  republicans,  whom  he 
abused  without  stint.  In  the  autumn  of  1775,  a  company  of  Connecticat  light-horse, 
led  by  Captain  Isaa?  Sears  of  New  York,  entered  the  city  at  noonday,  proceeded  to 
Rivlngton's  printing  establishment,  placed  a  guard  with  fixed  bayonets  around  it, 
put  all  his  types  into  bags,  destroyed  his  press  and  other  apparatus,  and  then  in  the 


294  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

The  time  that  this  remaxkable  connection  took  place 
is  of  course  unknown.  There  is  much  probability  that  it 
may  have  commenced  as  early  as  the  closing  of  the 
campaign  of  1776,  as  it  is  known  that  about  that  period 
Robert  Morris  borrowed  of  a  Quaker  five  himdred  guineas 
in  gold  for  the  secret  service  of  Washington's  army,  and 
that  intelligence  of  vital  and  vast  importance  was  obtained 
from  the  disbursement  of  the  QuaJcer  Joan. 

The  worthy  Quaker  said  to  Morris:  "How  can  I, 
friend  Robert,  who  am  a  man  of  peace,  lend  thee  money 
for  the  purposes  of  war  ?  Friend  George  is,  I  believe,  a 
good  man  and  fighting  in  a  good  cause ;  but  I  am  op- 
posed to  fighting  of  any  sort."  Morris,  however,  soon 
managed  to  quiet  old  broadbrim's  scruples :  the  gold  was 
dug  up  from  his  garden  and  handed  over  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chie^  whose  application  of  it  to  the  secret  ser- 
vice produced  the  happiest  efiects  upon  the  cause  of  the 
Revolution  in  that  critical  period  of  our  destiny.* 

same  order,  cheered  by  the  shouts  of  the  pleased  populace,  and  the  tune  of  Tankee 
Doodle,  left  the  city.  Rmngton  then  went  to  England.  When,  the  following  year, 
the  British  took  possession  of  New  York,  Rirington  returned.  In  October,  1777,  he 
was  appointed  "king's  printer"  in  that  city,  and  resumed  the  publication  of  his 
paper,  semi-weekly.  After  the  war,  his  business  declined,  and  he  lired  in  compara- 
tire  poverty  until  July  1802,  when  he  died,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  yeais.  A 
portrait  of  Rivington,  from  a  painting  by  Stuart,  may  be  found  in  Lcttinfft  Field- 
Book  of  the  lUvoluiwn. 

*  "  This  story,"  says  the  author  of  these  RecolUctione,  in  a  note,  "was  no  mystery 
in  Philadelphia  sixty-fire  years  ago,  when  the  man  of  peace  was  then  living,  pei^ 
fectly  well  known  and  deservedly  esteemed,  and  enjoying  the  peace,  liberty,  and  hap- 
piness which  his  gold  had  contributed  to  accomplish  for  his  native  land." 

Another  transaction  of  a  similar  character,  but  on  a  larger  scale,  is  related  upon 
good  authority.  After  the  capture  of  the  Hessians  at  Trenton,  and  disposition  of 
them  in  Pennsylvania,  Washington  resolved  to  recross  the  Delaware  and  occupy  the 
field  of  his  conquest.  But  the  term  of  enlistment  of  many  of  his  troops  was  about 
to  expire.  To  retain  them  he  offered  a  bounty,  to  be  paid  in  specie,  and  he  applied 
to  Robert  Morris  for  the  metal,  the  credit  of  Congress  being  too  low  at  that  time  tc 
offer  it  as  security  to  the  lender.    Morris  received  the  application  just  at  evening 


BfTSTEBIES  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  295 

Rivington  proved  faithful  to  his  bargain,  and  often 
would  intelligence  of  great  importance,  gleaned  in  con- 
vivial moments  at  Sir  William's,  or  Sir  Henry's  table,*  be 
in  the  American  camp  before  the  convivialists  had  slept 
off  the  effects  of  their  wiiie. 

The  business  of  the  secret  service  was  so  well  man- 
aged that  even  a  suspicion  never  arose  as  to  the  medium 
through  which  intelligence  of  vast  importance  was  con- 
tinually being  received  in  the  American  camp  from  the 
very  headquarters  of  the  British  army;  and,  had  sus- 
picion arose,  the  king's  printer  would  probably  have 
been  the  last  man  suspected,  for  during  the  whole  of  his 
connection  vnth  the  secret  service  his  Royal  Gazette 
literally  piled  abuse  of  every  sort  upon  the  American 
general  and  the  cause  of  America.f 

He  knew  not  where  to  apply  for  the  money,  and  with  a  desponding  spirit  he  left  his 
counting-room  late  in  the  eYening,  musing  upon  the  snhject.  He  met  a  wealthy 
Quaker  neighbor,  and  made  known  to  him  his  wants.  "  Robert/'  he  said,  "  what 
secuity  canst  thou  giro ?"—" My  note  and  my  honor,"  replied  Morris.  "Thou 
shalt  hare  it,"  was  the  qnick  response ;  and  a  few  hours  later,  Morris  wrote  to 
Washington  :  "  I  was  up  early  this  morning  to  despatch  a  supply  of  fifty  thousand 
dolUtfs  to  your  ezcelleney.  It  gives  me  pleasure  that  you  have  engaged  the  troops 
to  continue ;  and,  if  farther  occasional  supplies  of  money  are  necessary,  you  may 
depend  on  my  exertions,  either  in  a  public  or  private  capacity."  Thus  strengthened, 
Washington  turned  his  face  toward  the  enemy. 

The  Quakers,  as  advocates  of  peace,  were  opposed  to  the  war,  and  were  among 
the  most  determined  loyalists  throughout  the  Revolution.  And  that  loyalty  to  the 
king  was  not  always  passive,  but  with  glaring  inconsistency  with  their  professions, 
some  of  them,  in  Philadelphia,  aided  the  British  troops  in  their  efforts  to  crush  the 
rebellion,  so  called.  To  such  an  extent  did  they  exert  an  influence  against  the 
patriots,  that  Congress  thought  it  advisable  to  recommend  the  several  states  to  keep 
a  watch  upon  their  movements.  Several  leading  Quakers  were  banished  from  Phila- 
delphia in  1777;  and  in  November,  1778,  John  Roberts  and  Abraham  Carlisle, 
Quakers,  who  were  found  guilty  of  affording  secret  aid  to  the  enemy,  were  hanged. 

*  Sir  William  Howe  and  Sir  Henry  Clinton. 

t  Never  was  an  editor  more  unscrupulous  in  defaming  his  opponents,  than  Riving- 
ton. He  paid  no  regard  to  truth  or  decency,  but  belabored  the  whigs  with  all  his 
might.    He  was  most  cordially  hated  by  the  republicans,  and  their  writers  even 


296  KECOLLECTIONS   OP  WASHINGTON. 

In  1783  this  remarkable  mystery  was  solved.  When 
Washington  entered  New  York  a  conqueror,  on  the  eva- 
cuation by  the  British  forces,*  he  said  one  morning  to 
two  of  his  officers :  ^  Suppose,  gentlemen,  we  walk  down 
to  Kivington*s  bookstore ;  he  is  said  to  be  a  very  pleas- 
ant kind  of  a  fellow."  Ama-zed,  as  the  officers  were,  at 
the  idea  of  visiting  such  a  man,  they  of  course  prepared 
to  accompany  the  chief  When  arrived  at  the  bookstore, 
Bivington  received  his  visiters  with  great  politeness ;  for 
he  was  indeed  one  of  the  most  elegant  gentlemen  and 
best  bred  men  of  the  age.    Escorting  the  party  into  a 

ailer  the  war,  never  spared  him  when  an  opportanity  offered  to  lash  him.  Philip 
Freneau,  one  of  the  bards  of  the  Revolntion,  gave  him  many  a  hard  hit.  In  a  poem 
entitled  Eioington's  B^/Uctiom,  he  thas  referred  to  tiie  editor's  mendacity  when 
making  him  say,  at  the  close  of  the  war : — 

"  For  what  have  I  done  when  we  come  to  consider, 
But  sold  my  commodities  to  the  best  bidder? 
If  I  offered  to  lie  for  the  sake  of  a  post, 
Was  I  to  be  blamed  if  the  king  offered  most  ? 
The  king's  royal  printer  1— Fire  hundred  a-year  I 
Between  you  and  me  'twas  a  handsome  affair : 
Who  wonld  not  for  that  give  matters  a  stretch, 
And  lie  backward  and  forward,  and  carry  and  fetch." 

*  A  preliminary  treaty  of  peace  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain, 
was  signed  at  Paris  on  the  thirtieth  of  November,  1782,  and  a  definitive  treaty  was 
signed  at  the  same  place  by  American  and  English  commissioners,  on  the  third  of 
September,  1783.  In  that  treaty,  England  acknowledged  the  independence  of  the 
United  States.  By  previous  arrangement,  the  British  army,  which  had  occapicd 
New  York  seven  years,  was  to  leave  it  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  November,  1 783.  On 
the  morning  of  that  day — a  cold,  frosty,  but  clear  and  brilliant  morning — ^tlie  Amer- 
ican troops,  under  General  Enox,  who  had  come  down  from  West  Point,  and  en- 
camped at  Harlem,  marched  to  the  Bowery  lane,  and  halted  at  the  junction  of  the 
present  Third  avenue  and  Bowery.  Enox  was  accompanied  by  George  Clinton, 
the  governor  of  the  State  of  New  York,  with  all  the  principal  civil  officers.  There 
they  remained  until  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  British  left  their 
posts  and  marched  to  Whitehall  (near  the  South  ferry  to  Brooklyn)  to  embark. 
The  American  troops,  accompanied  by  Washington,  followed,  and  before  three 
o'clock  General  Knox  took  formal  possession  of  Fort  George,  amid  the  acclamations 
of  thousands  of  emancipated  freemen,  and  the  roar  of  artillery  upon  the  Battery. 


MT8TEBIE8  OF  THE  BEVOLUTION.  297 

parlor,  he  begged  the  oflScers  to  be  seated,' and  then  said 
to  the  chief,  "  Will  your  excellency  do  me  the  honor  to 
step  into  the  adjoining  room  for  a  moment  that  I  may 
show  you  a  list  of  the  agricvMwral  works  I  am  about  to 
order  out  from  London  for  your  special  useT  They 
retired.  The  locks  on  the  doors  of  the  houses  in  New 
York  more  than  threescore  years  ago  were  not  so  good 
as  now.  The  door  of  Eivington's  private  room  closed 
very  imperfectly  and  soon  became  ajar,  when  the  officers 
distinctly  heard  the  chinking  of  two  heavy  purses  of 
gold  as  they  were  successively  placed  on  a  table.* 

The  party  soon  returned  from  the  inner-room,  when 
Rivington  pressed  upon  his  guests  a  glass  of  Madeira, 
which  he  assured  them  was  a  prime  article,  having  im- 
ported it  himself,  and  it  having  received  the  approbation 
of  Sir  Henry  and  the  most  distinguished  hon  vivants  of 
the  British  army.f 

*  Bmngton's  method  of  conTeying  intelligence  to  Washington  wu  ingenious. 
He  pablisbed  books  of  yarioos  kinds,  and  by  means  of  these  he  carried  on  his 
treasonable  correspondence.  He  wrote  his  secret  billets  npon  thin  paper,  and  bonnd 
them  in  the  cover  of  a  book,  which  he  always  managed  to  sell  to  those  spies  of  Wash- 
ington, who  were  constantly  visiting  New  York,  and  who,  he  knew,  would  cany  the 
Tolames  directly  to  the  headqnartors  of  the  army.  The  men  employed  in  this  spe- 
cial serrice  were  ignorant  of  the  pecaliar  nature  of  it. 

t  Rivington  was  a  high  liver  when  his  pecuniary  means  would  allow  him  the  in- 
dulgence. He  was  a  fine-looking,  portly  man,  and  dressed  in  the  extreme  of  fashion 
—curled  and  powdered  hair,  claret^colored  coat,  scarlet  waistcoat  trimmed  with  gold 
lace,  buckskin  breeches,  and  top-boots.  He  always  kept  a  stock  of  choice  wines  on 
hand,  with  which  to  regale  his  friends.  A  good  anecdote  connected  with  his  wine 
was  related  by  Rivington  himself.  He  had  soundly  abused  Colonel  Ethan  Allen, 
while  he  was  a  prisoner,  and  the  leader  of  the  Green-Mountain  Boys  swore  he  would 
"  lick  Rivington  the  first  opportunity  he  had."  When  Allen  was  released  from  the 
provost  jail,  he  went  directly  toward  Rivington's  office  to  execute  his  oath.  Riving, 
ton's  clerk  saw  him  coming,  and  went  up  stairs  to  warn  his  master,  the  loyal  editor 
having  already  been  informed  of  the  irate  colonel's  intentions.  "  I  was  sitting,"  said 
Rivington,  *'  after  a  good  dinner,  alone,  with  my  bottle  of  Madeira  before  me,  when 
I  heard  an  unusual  noise  in  the  street,  and  a  huzza  from  the  boys.    I  was  in  the 


298  RBOOLLECnONS  OF  WASHINOTON. 

The  visiters  now  rose  to  depart  Rivington^  on  tar 
king  leave  of  the  chief,  whom  he  escorted  to  the  door, 
said :  ^  Your  excellency  may  rely  upon  my  especial  at- 
tention being  given  to  the  agricuUurai  toorka,  which,  on 
their  arrival,  will  be  immediately  forwarded  to  Mount 
Vernon,  where  I  trust  they  will  contribute  to  your  grati- 
fication amid  the  shades  of  domestic  retirement"  Biv- 
ington  remained  for  several  years  in  New  York  after  the 
peace  of  1783.  It  was  the  general  opinion  at  that  time, 
that  if  Rivington  had  been  closely  pressed  on  the  deli- 
cate subject  of  the  secret  service,  characters  of  greater 
calibre  might  have  appeared  on  the  tapis  than  the  king's 
printer* 

second  story,  and,  stepping  to  the  window,  saw  a  tall  fig:ure  in  tarnished  regimentals 
with  a  large  cocked  hat  and  an  enormous  long  sword,  followed  by  a  crowd  of  boys, 
who  occasionally  cheered  him  with  hussas,  of  which  he  seemed  iosensible.  He  came 
up  to  my  door  and  stopped.  I  could  see  no  more.  My  heart  told  me  it  was  Ethan 
Allen.  I  shut  down  my  window,  and  retired  behind  my  table  and  bottle.  I  was 
certain  the  hour  of  reckoning  had  come.  There  was  no  retreat.  Mr.  Staples,  my 
derk,  came  in  paler  than  ever,  and  clasping  his  hands,  said,  'Master,  be  is  come !' 
*  I  know  it.'  '  He  entered  the  store,  and  asked  "  if  James  Bivington  lired  there." 
I  answered,  "  Tes,  sir."  "  Is  he  at  home  ?"  « I  will  go  and  see,  sir,"  I  said ;  *  and 
BOW,  master,  what  is  to  be  done  ?  There  he  is  in  the  store,  and  the  boys  peeping  at 
him  from  the  street'  I  had  made  np  my  mind.  I  looked  at  the  bottle  of  Madeira— 
possibly  took  a  glass.  '  Show  him  np/  said  I ;  '  and  if  such  Madeira  can  not  mol- 
lify him,  he  must  be  harder  than  adamant'  There  was  a  fearfnl  moment  of  sos- 
pense.  I  heard  him  on  the  stairs,  his  long  sword  clanking  at  every  step.  In  he 
stalked.  '  Is  your  name  James  Rivington  1'  '  It  ia,  sir,  and  no  man  could  be  mors 
happy  than  I  am  to  see  Colonel  Ethan  Allen.'  *  Sir,  I  have  come — *  *  Not  an- 
other word,  my  dear  colonel,  until  you  have  taken  a  seat  and  a  glass  of  old  Madeira.' 
'  But  sir,  I  don't  think  it  proper—'  '  Not  another  word,  colonel.  Taste  this  wine ; 
I  have  had  it  in  glass  for  ten  years.  Old  wine,  yon  know,  unless  it  is  originally 
sound,  never  improves  by  age.'  He  took  the  glass,  swallowed  the  wine,  smacked 
his  lips,  and  shook  his  head  approvingly.  '  Sir,  I  come — '  '  Not  another  word 
nntil  you  have  taken  another  gUss,  and  then,  my  dear  colonel,  we  will  talk  of  old 
affairs,  and  I  have  some  droll  events  to  detail.'  In  short,  we  finished  two  botties  of 
Madeira,  and  parted  as  good  friends  as  if  we  never  had  cause  to  be  otherwise." 

*  When  the  loyalists  of  New  York  fied  to  Nova  Scotia,  on  the  evacuation  of  the 
city  by  the  British,  Bivington,  to  the  astonishment  of  all,  remained.    This  fact 


\;-'-  / 


KTSTSaiES  OF  THE  BEVOLUnON.  299 

When  the  famous  Kivington  espionage  became  known 
there  were  many  speculations  as  to  the  amount  paid  for 
the  secret  service.  Some  went  so  far  as  to  calculate 
how  many  guineas  the  capacious  pockets  of  an  officer's 
coat  made  in  the  old  fashion  would  contain.  The  general 
result  was  that,  including  the  quaker's  loan  and  pay- 
ments made  up  to  the  final  payment  in  full,  made  by  the 
chief  in  person,  from  a  thousand  to  fifteen  hundred 
guineas  would  be  a  pretty  fair  estimate. 

It  was  a  cheap,  a  dog  cheap  bargain ;  for,  although 
gold  was  precious  in  the  days  of  the  continental  currency, 
yet  the  gold  paid  for  the  secret  service  was  of  inestim- 
able value,  when  it  is  remembered  how  much  it  contri- 
buted to  the  safety  and  success  of  the  army  of  indepen- 
dence. 

puzzled  those  unacqaainted  with  his  career  daring  the  war.  Others,  not  a  tenth 
part  as  obnoxious  to  the  republicans  as  he,  were  driren  away.  In  his  secret  treason 
is  the  solntion  of  the  mystery.  The  facts  above  related  are  given  by  the  anthor  of 
these  RecoUections,  he  says,  "  on  the  authority  of  General  Henry  Lee,  who  had  them 
from  one  pf  the  officers  who  accompanied  Washington  in  his  visit  to  Bivington." 
I  received  substantially  the  same  facts,  a  few  years  ago,  from  the  late  Senator  Hun- 
ter, of  Hunter's  island,  Westchester  coun^.  New  York,  who  heard  them  from  the 
lips  of  a  British  admiral. 


300  BEOOLLEOnOKS  OF  WASHINOTOK. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  INDIAN   PROPHECY.* 

VnHZvaTOK^  JonmKVT  to  the  Eavawha  Biybs  xh  1770— FoBja  a  Camp  c:i  rb  Bahk*— 
Abuhvaxoi  or  Oams  nnuB— Vibitbd  bt  a  Tkabbb  and  a  Pabtt  or  Iin>iAira— Fxbm  Iv- 
TBBViBW  wira  THBX — Tbb  Ikdeav  Baoiuii*b  Mibuok — Hx8  OBBAT  Bbtxbbhob  roE  CounrxL 
WASimioTOir— Bpbboh  or  thb  Indiak  Saoiibik— His  Bbmabkablb  Pbophbot— In  Emor 
vpoir  THB  Ck>icPAinr — Dbpabtubb  or  tsb  Sayaobs  —  Doctoe  Jaxbs  Ceade — His  FAxm  m 
THB  Pbophbot — Sobvb  at  the  Battlb  or  Monhocth — Colobbl  Thomas  Haetlbt. 

It  was  in  1770,  that  Colonel  Washington,  accompanied 
by  Doctor  James  Craik,  and  a  considerable  party  of 
hunters,  woodsmen,  and  others,  proceeded  to  the  Kan- 
awha with  a  view  to  explore  the  country,  and  make  sui^ 
veys  of  extensive  and  valuable  bodies  of  lands.f    At  that 

*  This  was  first  pablished  in  the  PhiladelphiA  United  Statei  GatOte,  on  tho 
twenty-seventh  of  Maj,  1826. 

t  The  officers  and  soldiers  who  accompanied  Washington  in  the  expedition  against 
the  French,  on  the  Ohio,  in  1754,  were  promised  grants  of  land  in  the  fertile  regions 
of  the  great  Kanawha,  where  it  empties  into  the  Ohio.  These  lands  were  formally 
granted  that  year,  by  an  order  in  coancil  of  the  British  government,  and  a  proclama- 
tion by  (Governor  Dinwiddle,  bnt  on  account  of  the  continuance  of  a  state  of  war, 
they  were  not  located,  and  actual  possession  given,  until  many  years  afterward.  In 
1770  a  company  in  London  solicited  a  grant  of  land  within  the  proposed  boundaries 
of  which  nearly  all  of  the  promised  bounty  land  lay.  Washington  at  once  took  the 
matter  in  hand,  as  the  champion  of  the  soldier  about  to  be  wronged.  He  first  laid 
before  Governor  Botetourt  a  history  of  the  claim,  and  entered  a  strong  protest  against 
the  proposed  grant  to  the  English  company,  at  the  head  of  whom  was  the  celebrated 
Horace  Walpole.  He  was  successful  in  his  defence  of  the  soldier's  rights,  and  that 
no&ing  essential  to  their  interests  should  be  lefk  undone,  he  resolved  to  visit  the 
region  under  consideration,  and  select  the  best  tracts  of  land  for  himself  and  his 
companions-in-arms ;  and  on  the  fifth  of  October,  1770,  accompanied  by  his  friend  * 
and  neighbor.  Doctor  Craik,  with  three  negro  attendants,  he  left  Mount  Vernon  for 
the  Ohio.    His  Diary,  kept  during  this  journey  to  the  wilderness  and  back,  which 


THE  INDIAN  PBOPHECT.  301 

tome  of  day,  the  Kanawha  was  several  hundred  miles  re- 
mote from  the  frontier  settlements,  and  only  accessible 
by  Indian  paths,  which  wonnd  through  the  passes  of  the 
mountains. 

In  those  wild  and  unfrequented  regions,  the  party 
formed  a  camp  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  consisting  of 
rudely-constructed  wigwams  or  shelters,  from  which  they 
issued  to  explore  and  survey  those  alluvial  tracts,  now 
forming  the  most  fertile  and  best  inhabited  parts  of  the 
west  of  Virginia.* 

This  romantic  camp,  though  far  removed  from  the 
homes  of  civilization,  possessed  very  many  advantages. 
The  great  abimdance  of  various  kinds  of  game,  in  its 
vicinity,  aflbrded  a  sumptuous  larder,  while  a  few  luxuries 
of  foreign  growth,  which  had  been  brought  on  the  bag- 
gage horses,  made  the  adventurers  as  comfortable  as  they 
could  reasonably  desire.f 

One  day  when  resting  in  camp  from  the  fatigues  air 
tendant  on  so  arduous  an  enterprise,  a  party  of  Indians 
led  by  a  trader,  were  discovered.  No  recourse  was  had 
to  arms,  for  peace  in  great  measure  reigned  on  the  fron- 
tier; the  border  warfare  which  so  long  had  harassed  the 
unhappy  settlers,  had  principally  subsided,  and  the  savage 
driven  farther  and  farther  back,  as  the  settlements  ad- 
vanced, had  sufficiently  felt  the  power  of  the  whites,  to 
view  them  with  fear,  as  well  as  hate.    Again,  the  approach 

occupied  "nine  weeks  and  one  day/'  is  priuted  entire  in  the  appendix  to  the  second 
Tolume  of  Spaik's  lAft  and  Writings  of  Washington, 

*  These  lands  lay  in  the  present  counties  of  Kanawha,  Jackson,  Mason,  and 
Cabel. 

t  Washington  in  his  Diaiy,  thus  refers  to  one  of  his  horses:  "Mj  portmanteau 
horse  being  unable  to  proceed,  I  left  him  at  my  brother's  [Samuel,  on  Worthington's 
marsh,  over  the  Blue  Ridge],  and  got  one  of  his  and  proceeded  to  Samuel  Pritchard's, 
on  Cacapehon." 


302  RECJOLLECnONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

of  this  party  was  anything  but  hostile,  and  the  appeaiv 
ance  of  the  trader,  a  being  half  savage,  half  civilized, 
made  it  certain  that  the  mission  was  rather  of  peace 
than  war. 

They  halted  at  a  short  distance,  and  the  interpreter 
advancing,  declared  that  he  was  conducting  a  party, 
which  consisted  of  a  grand  sachem,  and  some  attendant 
warriors ;  that  the  chief  was  a  very  great  man  among  ' 
the  northwestern  tribes,  and  the  same  who  commanded 
the  Indians  on  the  fall  of  Braddock,  sixteen  years  before,* 
that  hearing  of  the  visit  of  Colonel  Washington  to  the 
western  country,  this  chief  had  set  out  on  a  mission,  the 
object  of  which  himself  would  make  known.f 

The  colonel  received  the  embassador  with  courtesy, 
and  having  put  matters  in  camp  in  the  best  possible  order 
for  the  reception  of  such  distinguished  visiters,  which  so 
short  a  notice  would  allow,  the  strangers  were  introduced. 
Among  the  colonists  were  some  fine,  tall,  and  manly 
figures,  but  so  soon  as  the  sachem  approached,  he  in  a 
moment  pointed  out  the  hero  of  the  Monongahela,  from 
among  the  group,  although  sixteen  years  had  elapsed 
since  he  had  seen  him,  and  then  only  in  the  tumult  and 
fury  of  battle.  The  Indian  was  of  a  lofty  stature,  and  of 
a  dignified  and  imposing  appearance. 

*  See  note  on  page  156. 

t  On  the  way,  Washington  and  Doctor  Craik  were  joined  by  several  frontier  men, 
among  them  Joseph  Nicholson,  an  interpreter.  Under  date  of  October  20,  he  re- 
corded in  his  Diary :  "  We  embaiked  in  a  large  canoe,  with  a  soffident  store  of  pro- 
visions and  necessaries,  and  the  following  persons,  besides  Dr.  Craik  and  myself, 
to  wit.  Captain  Crawford,  Joseph  Nicholson,  Robert  Bell,  William  Harrison,  Charles 
Moiigan,  and  Daniel  Rendon,  a  boy  of  Captain  Crawford's,  and  the  Indians,  who 
were  in  a  canoe  by  themselves."  Captain  Crawford  afterward  suffered  a  horrible 
death  at  the  hands  of  the  Sha?mees,  in  Ohio.  At  Fort  Pitt  they  were  joined  by 
*'  Colonel  Craghan,  Lieutenant  Hamilton,  and  Mr.  Magee." 


THE  INDIAN  PKOPHECY.  303 

The  usual  salutations  were  going  round,  when  it  was 
observed^  that  the  grand  chief,  although  perfectly  fami- 
liar with  every  other  person  present,  preserved  toward 
Colonel  Washington  the  most  reverential  deference.  It 
was  in  vain  that  the  colonel  extended  his  hand,  the  Indian 
drew  back,  with  the  most  impressive  marks  of  awe  and  re- 
spect A  last  eflFort  was  made  to  induce  an  intercourse,  by 
resorting  to  the  delight  of  the  savages — ardent  spirit — 
vhich  the  colonel  having  tasted,  offered  to  his  guest ;  the 
Indian  bowed  his  head  in  submission,  but  wetted  not  his 
lips.  Tobacco,  for  the  use  of  which  Washington  ajways 
had  the  utmost  abhorrence,  was  next  tried,  the  colonel 
taking  a  single  puff  to  the  great  annoyance  of  his  feel- 
ings, and  then  offering  the  calumet  to  the  chief,  who 
touched  not  the  symbol  of  savage  friendship.  The  banquet 
being  now  ready,  the  colonel  did  the  honors  of  the  feast, 
and  placing  the  great  man  at  his  side,  helped  him  plenti- 
fully, but  the  Indian  fed  not  at  the  board.  Amazement 
now  possessed  the  company,  and  an  intense  anxiety  be- 
came apparent,  as  to  the  issue  of  so  extraordinary  an 
adventure.  The  covmcil  fire  was  kindled,  when  the 
grand  sachem  addressed  our  Washington  to  the  follow- 
ing effect : — ^* 

"  I  am  a  chie^  and  the  ruler  over  many  tribes.  My  in- 
fluence extends  to  the  waters  of  the  great  lakes,  and  to 
to  the  far  blue  mountains.  I  have  travelled  a  long  and 
weary  path,  that  I  might  see  the  young  warrior  of  the 
great  battle.  It  was  on  the  day,  when  the  white 
man's  blood,  mixed  with  the  streams  of  our  forest,  that  I 
first  beheld  this  chief:  I  called  to  my  young  men  and 
said,  mark  yon  tall  and  daring  warrior  ?    He  is  not  of  the 

*  He  addressed  Washington,  throogh  Kicholson,  the  interpreter. 


304  RECOLLECnONS  OF  WA8HIN0T0K. 

red-coat  tribe — he  hath  an  Indian's  wisdom,  and  his  war- 
riors fight  as  we  do — himself  is  alone  exposed.  Quick, 
let  your  aim  be  certain,  and  he  dies.  Our  rifles  were 
levelled,  rifles  which,  but  for  him,  knew  not  how  to 
miss — 'twas  all  in  vain,  a  power  mightier  far  than  we, 
shielded  him  from  hann.  He  can  not  die  in  battle.  I 
am  old,  and  soon  shall  be  gathered  to  the  great  coimcil- 
fire  of  my  fathers,  in  the  land  of  shades,  but  ere  I  goj 
there  is  a  something,  bids  me  speak,  in  the  voice  of 
prophecy.  Listen!  The  Great  Spirit  prctecU  thai  man, 
and  guides  his  desHmes — he  wiU  become  the  chief  of  nationSf 
and  a  people  yet  unborn,  wiU  hail  him  as  the  founder  of  a 
mighty  empire  /"* 

The  savage  ceased,  his  oracle  delivered,  his  prophetic 
mission  fulfilled,  he  retired  to  muse  in  silence,  upon  that 
wonder-working  Spirit,  which  his  Hark 

"  Untutored  mind     "--- 
Saw  oft  in  clouds,  and  heard  Him  in  the  wind." 

Night  coming  on,  the  children  of  the  forest  spread 

*  This  narrative  the  aathor  of  the  RecoUediotu  received  from  the  lips  of  Dr.  Craik. 
Washington  does  not  mention  the  circnmstanco  in  his  Diary.  It  was  a  pecaliar 
trait  of  his  character  to  avoid  everything,  either  in  speech  or  writing,  that  had  a  per- 
sonal relation  to  himself,  in  this  manner.  In  his  Diary  he  mentions  a  visit  horn  an 
embassy  of  the  Six  Nations,  led  by  White  Mingo,  who  made  a  speech.  Bat  that  oc- 
curred on  the  nineteenth  of  the  month;  while  Uio  incident  that  forms  the  subject  of 
this  chapter,  did  not  occur  until  they  had  reached  the  month  of  the  Kanawha,  after 
the  thirty-first. 

The  Reverend  Samuel  Davies,  a  Presbyterian  minister  at  Hanover,  in  Yiiginia, 
daring  the  earlier  portions  of  the  French  and  Indian  war  (and  in  1759,  was  president 
of  the  college  at  Princeton),  preached  several  patriotic  discourses  afker  the  defeat  of 
Braddock,  to  arouse  his  countrymen  to  action.  In  one  of  these,  entitled  **  Religion 
and  Patriotism  the  constituents  of  a  good  Soldier,"  he  remarked,  in  allusion  to  the 
remarkable  preservation  of  Washington  on  the  bloody  field  of  Monongahela,  "  I  can 
not  but  hope  Providence  has  hitherto  preserved  him  in  so  signal  a  manner,  for  some 
important  service  to  his  country."  It  is  an  interesting  fact,  that  Washington  never 
received  the  slightest  wound  in  battle. 


THB  IHPIAN  PROPHECT.  305 

their  blankets^  and  were  soon  buried  in  sleep.  At  early 
dawn  they  bid  adieu  to  the  camp^  and  were  seen  slowly 
winding  their  way  toward  the  distant  haunts  of  their 
tribe. 

The  effects  which  this  mysterious  and  romantic  ad- 
venture had  upon  the  provincials,  were  as  various  as  the 
variety  of  character  which  composed  the  party.  All 
•eyes  were  turned  on  him,  to  whom  the  oracle  had  been 
addressed,  but  from  his  evernserene  and  thoughtful  coun- 
tenance, nothing  could  be  discovered :  still  all  this  was 
strange,  "  'twas  passive  strange."  On  the  mind  of  Doctor 
James  Craik,  a  most  deep  and  lasting  impression  was 
made,  and  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  it  became  a 
favorite  theme  with  him,  particularly  after  any  perilous 
action,  in  which  his  friend  and  commander  had  been 
peculiarly  exposed,  as  the  battles  of  Princeton,  German- 
town,  and  Monmouth.  On  the  latter  occasion,  as  we 
have  elsewhere  observed,*  Doctor  Craik  expressed  his 
great  faith  in  the  Indian's  prophecy.  "  Gentlemen,"  he 
said,  to  some  of  the  officers,  ^  recollect  what  I  have  often 
told  you,  of  the  old  Indian's  prophecy.  Yes,  I  do  believe, 
a  Great  Spirit  protects  that  man — and  that  one  day  or 
other,  honored  and  beloved,  he  will  be  the  chief  of  our 
nation,  as  he  is  now  our  general,  our  father,  and  our 
friend.  Never  mind  the  enemy,  they  can  not  kill  him, 
and  while  he  lives,  our  cause  will  never  die." 

During  the  engagement  on  the  following  day,  while 
Washington  was  speaking  to  a  favorite  officer,  I  think 
the  brave  and  valued  Colonel  Hartley,  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania line,  a  cannon  ball  struck  just  at  his  horse's  feet^ 
throwing  the  dirt  in  his  face,  and  over  his  clothes,  the 

*  See  page  22S. 
20 


306  RECOLl4E}CnONB  OF  WASHINGTON. 

general  continued  giving  his  orders,  without  noticing  the 
derangement  of  his  toilette.  The  officers  present,  several 
of  whom  were  of  the  party  the  preceding  evening,  looked 
at  each  other  with  anxiety.  The  chief  of  the  medical 
sta£^  pleased  with  the  proof  of  his  prediction,  and  in  re- 
miniscence of  what  had  passed  the  night  before,  pointed 
toward  heaven,  which  was  noticed  by  the  others,  with  a 
gratifying  smile  of  acknowledgment* 

Of  the  brave  and  valued  Colonel  Hartley,  it  is  said, 
that  the  commander-in-chief  sent  for  him  in  the  heat  of 
an  engagement^  and  addressed  him  as  follows:  ^I  have 
sent  for  you,  colonel,  to  employ  you  on  a  serious  piece 
of  service.  The  state  of  our  afl&irs,  renders  it  necessary, 
that  a  part  of  this  army  should  be  sacrifieedy  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  whole.  You  command  an  efficient  corps  (a 
fine  regiment  of  Germans  from  York  and  Lancaster 
counties).  I  know  you  well,  and  have,  therefore,  selected 
you  to  perform  this  important  and  serious  duty.  You 
will  take  such  a  position,  and  defend  it  to  the  last  ex- 
tremity.*' The  colonel  received  this  appointment  to  a  for- 
lorn hope,  with  a  smile  of  exultation,  and  bowing,  replied : 
"  Your  excellency  does  me  too  much  honor ;  your  orders 
shall  be  obeyed  to  the  letter,"  and  repaired  to  his  post. 

I  will  not  be  positive  as  to  the  location  of  this  anec- 
dote, having  heard  it  from  the  old  people  of  the  Revolu- 
tion many  years  ago,  but  think  it  occurred  on  the  field 
of  Monmouth — but  of  this  I  am  not  certain.  I  have  a 
hundred  times  seen  Colonel  Hartley  received  in  the  halls 
of  the  great  president,  where  so  many  Revolutionary 
worthies  were  made  welcome,  and  to  none  was  the  hand 
of  honored  and  firiendly  recollection  more  feelingly  ofier- 

*  The  snbstanco  of  this  is  given  in  the  account  of  the  battle  at  Sf  onmouth. 


THE  INDIAN  PEOFHBCY.  307 

ed ;  on  none  did  the  merit-discerning  eye  of  the  chief 
appear  to  beam  with  more  pleasure,  than  on  Hartley  of 
York* 

*  Colonel  Thomas  Hartley  was  a  natlre  of  Berks  connty,  PenDsylyania,  and  was 
bom  on  the  seventh  of  September,  1748.  He  studied  law  in  York,  and  practised  his 
profession  there.  He  entered  the  army  at  the  beginning  of  the  Bevolation,  and  was 
in  seyeral  engagements.  After  the  descent  of  Bntler  and  his  Indians  into  the  Wyo- 
ming yalley,  in  the  summer  of  1778,  he  commanded  a  corps  in  that  region.  Colonel 
Hartley  was  a  member  of  Congress  in  1788,  and  held  the  office  twelve  consecutive 
yeaza.  He  also  held  several  offices  in  his  native  commonwealth.  He  died  on  the 
twenty-first  of  December,  1800,  at  the  age  of  fifby-two  years. 


308  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

DANIEL  MORGAN. 
MoBOAH%  Nassatxtxb— His  Tvib  of  a  Good  Soloixb— Last  Bubyitob  of  hib  Corps  ~ 

WASHIliaTOB  Ain>  MOBOAX  ALONB  — MOBOAK  SBKT  TO  RsCOirirOITBB  —  SpBCXAL  IxSTBVO- 
TI0K8  — CaPTAIV  OaBBIXL  LONO  — MOBOAIT  AND  BIS  PARTT  BBOONKOITBB— TbBT  I)1S> 
OOYBB  A  PaBTT  OF  OfFICBBS  —  ThBSB  GaTBBB   IK  A  GbOUPB  OB  A  KmOLL  —  CoiVTBABT  TO 

IicBTBironoiis,  Moboab  akd  his  Mbm  Fibb  vponthbm— Dbathofsomb  of  tub  Officbbs 

—  MoBOAK  IB  Low  Spibits— His  Expbotatiob  of  Dibobacb  fob  Disobbdibvob  of  Obdbbs 

—  IxTBBTIBW    with   COLOBBL   HaMILTOK  — MoBQAK  IB  TUB    PbBSBBOB  of  WASHIiraTOH  — 

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—  GbHBBOUSLT  FoBQITBN  BT  WaSHIKGTON  — Ck>B0BATULATI0K8  OF  BIS  FbLLOW-OfFICBBS. 

It  was  our  good  fortune,  in  conversations  with  the  late 
General  Daniel  Morgan,  to  elicit  from  that  distinguished 
veteran  most  interesting  narratives  of  many  of  the  prom- 
inent events  in  the  Revolutionary  war.* 

*  General  Daniel  Morgan  was  a  natiye  of  New  Jersey,  where  he  was  bom  in  1737. 
He  emigrated  to  Vuginia  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  That  was  the  year  (l  755),  when 
Braddock  went  on  his  expedition  against  the  French  and  Indians  at  Fort  dn  Qnesne. 
Moigan  accompanied  the  army  as  a  waggoner.  During  the  march  he  replied 
sharply  to  the  insnlts  of  a  British  officer,  who  then  tried  to  run  him  through  with  his 
sword.  Morgan  well-defended  himself,  and  succeeded  in  giving  the  officer  a  severe 
whipping.  For  this  he  was  condemned  to  receive  five  hundred  lashes  on  the  bare 
back.  Four  hundred  and  fifty  were  given,  when  he  fainted.  The  remainder  were 
remitted.  The  officer  becoming  convinced  that  he  had  been*  in  the  wrong,  apologised ; 
but  the  memory  of  this  indignity,  no  doubt,  gave  vigor  to  the  arm  of  Daniel  Moigan 
in  the  war  against  the  British  officers  and  soldiers  twenty  years  later. 

Morgan  raised  a  company  of  riflemen  and  joined  the  continental  army,  at  Cam- 
bridge, in  1775.  During  that  autumn  he  accompanied  Arnold  in  his  famous  expe- 
dition across  the  wilderness  of  the  Kennebec  and  Chaudidre  to  Quebec,  where  he 
was  taken  a  prisoner  at  the  dose  of  the  year.  He  was  active  throughout  a  greater 
portion  of  the  war,  after  his  exchange.  He  was  in  the  army  against  the  "  Whiskey 
Insurgents/*  in  1794,  and  was  afterward  a  member  of  Congress.    His  estate  in  Vir- 


DANIEL  MORGAN.  309 

While  listening  to  the  tale  of  the  hardships  and  priva- 
tions  of  our  suffering  soldiery,  as  to  a  tale  of  wonder,  we 
asked  the  general  which  of  the  men,  of  the  various  nations 
composing  the  American  armies  (in  his  excellent  judg- 
ment), possessed  the  best  natural  requisites  for  making 
good  soldiers  ? 

Morgan  replied :  ^*  As  to  the  fighting  part  of  the  matter, 
the  men  of  all  nations  are  pretty  much  alike;  they  fight 
as  much  as  they  find  necessary,  and  no  more.  But^  sir, 
for  the  grand  essential  in  the  composition  of  the  good 
soldier,  give  me  the  Dutchman — he  starves  welV 

It  is  not  a  little  remarkable  that  the  last  survivor  of 
the  celebrated  rifle  corps  which  Morgan  led  across  the 
wintry  wilderness  of  the  Kennebec  in  1775,  and  which 
corps  suffered  an  extremity  of  famine  and  hardship  al- 
most beyond  belief,*  is  a  highly  respectable  German,  a 
Mr.  Lauk,now  resident,  at  a  very  advanced  age,  in  Wash- 
ington, Virginia.f 

ginia,  where  he  lived  many  yean,  he  called  Saratoga.  He  died  at  Berry  ville,  in  Vir- 
ginia, on  the  sixth  of  July,  1802,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years. 

*  Colonel  Benedict  Arnold  left  Cambridge  with  a  thousand  men,  in  September, 
1775,  and,  landing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec,  marched  np  that  stream  and 
throngh  the  wilderness,  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  by  way  of  the  Chandidre  river,  that 
flows  northward  from  Lake  Megantic,  on  the  high  water-shed  in  Maine.  That 
expedition,  to  which  reference  has  been  made  several  times  before,  was  one  of  the 
most  wonderful  on  record.  For  forty  days  Arnold  and  his  men  traversed  a  gloomy 
wilderness  without  meeting  a  human  being.  Frost  and  snow  were  upon  the  ground, 
and  ice  was  upon  the  surface  of  the  marshes  and  the  streams  which  they  were  com- 
pelled to  traverse  and  ford  sometimes  armpit  deep  in  water  and  mud.  Yet  they 
murmured  not,  and  even  women  followed  in  their  train.  Famine  beset  them  before 
they  reached  the  Firench  settlements  on  the  St.  Lawrence  slope,  and  they  were  reduced 
to  such  extremities,  that  the  dog  of  Captain  Dearborn  made  a  most  acceptable  meal 
for  himself  and  soldiers.  After  incredible  hardships  from  fatigue,  intense  cold,  and 
biting  hunger,  they  arrived  at  Point  Levi,  opposite  Quebec,  on  the  ninth  of  Novem- 
ber. 

\  This  was  published  in  the  NaJtiomoX  Inidligmcer,  on  the  fourteenth  of  December, 
1835. 


310  RECOLLECnONB  OF  WASHINGTON. 

Greneral  Morgan  related  to  us  the  substance  of  the 
following  personal  remmiscences ;  and  many  times  during 
the  recital  his  voice  faltered  with  emotion,  and  his  eyes 
filled  with  tears : — 

The  outposts  of  the  two  armies  were  very  near  to  each 
other,  when  the  American  commander,  desirous  of  obtain- 
ing particular  information  respecting  the  positions  of  his 
adversary,  summoned  the  famed  leader  of  the  riflemen. 
Colonel  Daniel  Morgan,  to  headquarters.''^ 

It  was  night,  and  the  chief  was  alone.  After  his  usual 
polite,  yet  reserved  and  dignified  salutation,  Washington 
remarked :  "  I  have  sent  for  you.  Colonel  Morgan,  to  en- 
trust to  your  courage  and  sagacity,  a  small  but  very  im- 
portant enterprise.  I  wish  you  to  reconnoitre  the  ene- 
my's lines,  with  a  view  to  your  ascertaining  correctly 
the  positions  of  their  newly-constructed  redoubts ;  also  of 
the  encampments  of  the  British  troops  that  have  lately 
arrived,  and  those  of  their  Hessian  auxiliaries.  Select^ 
sir,  an  oflScer,  non-commissioned  oflScer,  and  about  twenty 
picked  men,  and  under  cover  of  the  night  proceed  with 
all  possible  caution,  get  as  near  as  you  can,  learn  all 
you  can,  and  by  day-dawn  retire  and  make  your  report 
to  headquarters.  But  mark  me,  Colonel  Morgan,  mark 
me  well :  On  no  account  whatever  are  you  to  bring  on 
any  skirmishing  with  the  enemy.  If  discovered,  make  a 
speedy  retreat;  let  nothing  induce  you  to  fire  a  single 
shot.  I  repeat,  sir,  that  no  force  of  circumstances  will 
excuse  the  discharge  of  a  single  rifle  on  your  part,  and 
for  the  extreme  preciseness  of  these  orders,  permit  me  to 

*  Mr.  Castis  has  not  given  the  locality  of  the  erento  of  this  narrative.  It  is  prob- 
able that  it  was  in  New  Jersey,  and  the  time  a  night  or  two  before  the  battle  of  Mon- 
moath. 


DAmEL  MOBGAN.  311 

say  that  I  have  my  reasons."  Filling  two  glasses  of  wine, 
the  general  continued,  ^  And  now.  Colonel  Morgan,  we 
will  drink  a  good  night,  and  success  to  your  enterprise." 
Morgan  quaffed  the  wine,  smacked  his  lips,  and  assuring 
his  excellency  that  his  orders  should  be  pimctually 
obeyed,  left. the  tent  of  the  commander-in-chief 

Charmed  at  being  chosen  the  executive  officer  of  a 
daring  enterprise,  the  Leader  of  the  Woodsmen  repaired 
to  his  quarters,  and  calling  for  Gabriel  Long,  his  favorite 
captain,  ordered  him  to  detail  a  trusty  sergeant,  and 
twenty  prime  fellows.  When  these  were  mustered,  and 
ordered  to  lay  on  their  arms,  to  be  ready  at  a  moment's 
warning,  Morgan  and  Long  stretched  their  manl^  forms 
before  the  watchfire,  to  await  the  going  down  of  the 
moon — the  signal  for  departure. 

A  little  after  midnight,  and  while  the  rays  of  the  set- 
ting moon  stiU  faintly  glimmered  in  the  Western  hori- 
zon, *^  Up  sergeant,"  cried  Long,  "  stir  up  your  men !" 
and  twenty  athletic  figures  were  upon  their  feet  in  a 
moment  Indian  file,  march,  and  away  all  sprung  with 
the  quick,  yet  light  and  stealthy  step  of  the  woodsmen. 
They  reached  the  enemy's  lines,  crawled  up  so  close  to 
the  pickets  of  the  Hessians,  as  to  inhale  the  odor  of  their 
pipes,  and  discovered,  by  the  newly  turned  up  earth,  the 
position  of  the  redoubts,  and  by  the  numerous  tents  that 
dotted  the  field  for  "  many  a  rood  aroimd,"  and  shone 
dimly  amid  the  night  haze,  the  encampment  of  the  Brit- 
ish and  German  reinforcements.  In  short  they  performed 
their  perilous  duty  without  the  slightest  discovery ;  and, 
pleased  with  themselves,  and  the  success  of  their  enter- 
prise, prepared  to  retire,  just  as  chanticleer  from  a  neigh- 
boring farm-house  was  "  bidding  salutation  to  the  mom." 


312  BECOLLEOnONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

The  adventurous  party  reached  a  small  eminence  at 
some  distance  from  the  British  camp,  and  commanding 
an  extensive  prospect  over  the  adjoining  country.  Here 
Morgan  halted,  to  give  his  men  a  little  rest,  before  taking 
up  his  line  of  march  for  the  American  outposts.  Scarcely 
had  they  thrown  themselves  on  the  grass,  when  they 
perceived,  issuing  from  the  enemy's  advanced  pickets,  a 
body  of  horse,  commanded  by  an  officer,  and  proceeding 
along  a  road  that  led  directly  by  the  spot  where  the 
riflemen  had  halted.  No  spot  could  be  better  chosen  for 
an  ambuscade,  for  there  were  rocks  and  ravines,  and  also 
scrubby  oaks,  that  grew  thickly  on  the  eminence  by 
which  the  road  we  have  just  mentioned  passed,  at  not 
exceeding  a  hundred  yards. 

"  Down  boys,  down,"  cried  Morgan,  as  the  horse  ap- 
proached J  nor  did  the  clansmen  of  the  Black  Rhoderic 
disappear  more  promptly  amid  their  native  heather,  than 
did  Morgan's  woodsmen  in  the  present  instance,  each  to 
his  tree,  or  rock.  "  Lie  close  there,  my  lads,  till  we  see 
what  these  fellows  are  about" 

Meantime,  the  horsemen  had  gained  the  height,  and 
the  officer  dropping  his  rein  on  his  charger's  neck,  with 
a  spy-glass  reconnoitred  the  American  lines.  The 
troopers  closed  up  their  files,  and  were  either  cherishing 
the  noble  animals  they  rode,  adjusting  their  equipments, 
or  gazing  upon  the  surrounding  scenery  now  fast  bright- 
ening in  the  beams  of  a  rising  sun. 

Morgan  looked  at  Long,  and  Long  upon  his  superior, 
while  the  riflemen,  with  panting  chests  and  sparkling 
eyes,  were  only  awaiting  some  signal  from  their  officers 
« to  let  the  ruin  fly." 

At  length  the  martial  ardor  of  Morgan  overcame  his 


DAIOEL  MORGAN.  313 

prudence  and  sense  of  military  subordination.  Forgetful 
of  consequences,  reckless  of  everything  but  his  enemy 
now  within  his  grasp,  he  waved  his  hand,  and  loud  and 
sharp  rang  the  report  of  the  rifles  amid  the  surrounding 
echoes. 

At  point-blank  distance,  the  certain  and  deadly  aim  of 
the  Hunting  Shirts  of  the  Kevolutionary  army  is  too  well 
known  to  history  to  need  remark  at  this  time  of  day.  In 
the  instance  we  have  to  record,  the  eflects  of  the  fire  of 
the  riflemen  were  tremendous.  Of  the  horsemen,  some 
had  fallen  to  rise  no  more,  while  their  liberated  chargers 
rushed  wildly  over  the  adjoining  plains ;  others,  wounded, 
but  entangled  with  their  stirrups,  were  dragged  by  the 
furious  animals  expmngly  along,  while  the  very  few 
who  were  unscathed  spurred  hard  to  regain  the  shelter 
of  the  British  lines. 

While  the  smoke  yet  canopied  the  scene  of  slaughter, 
and  the  picturesque  forms  of  the  woodsmen  appeared 
among  the  foliage,  as  they  were  reloading  their  pieces, 
the  colossal  figure  of  Morgan  stood  apart  He  seemed 
the  very  genius  of  war,  as  gloomily  he  contemplated  the 
havoc  his  order  had  made.  He  spoke  not,  he  moved 
not,  but  looked  as  one  absorbed  in  an  intensity  of 
thought  The  martial  shout  with  which  he  was  wont  to 
cheer  his  conumles  in  the  hour  of  combat  was  hushed; 
the  shell*  from  which  he  had  blown  full  many  a  note  of 

*  M^OTgaxi'8  riflemen  were  generally  in  the  advance,  skirmishing  with  the  light 
troops  of  the  enemy,  or  annoying  his  flanks ;  the  regiment  was  thus  much  divided 
into  detachments,  and  dispersed  over  a  very  wide  field  of  action.  Moi^n  was  in 
the  habit  of  using  a  conch-shell  frequently  during  the  heat  of  battle,  with  which  he 
would  blow  a  loud  and  warlike  blast.  This  he  said  was  to  inform  his  boys  that  he 
was  still  alive,  and  from  many  parts  of  the  field  was  beholding  their  prowess ;  and, 
like  the  last  signal  of  a  celebrated  sea-warrior  of  another  hemisphere,  was  expecting 
that  "  every  man  would  do  his  duty." — Note  hy  the  Author. 


314  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHmOTON. 

battle  and  of  triumph  on  the  fields  of  Saratoga,  hung  idly 
by  his  side ;  no  order  was  given  to  spoil  the  slain.  The 
arms  and  equipments  for  which  there  was  always  a 
bounty  from  Congress,  the  shirts  for  which  there  was 
such  need  in  that,  the  sorest  period  of  our  country's  pri- 
vation, all,  all,  were  abandoned,  as,  with  an  abstracted 
edi  and  a  voice  struggling  for  utterance,  Morgan  sud- 
denly turning  to  his  captain,  exclaimed,  "  Long,  to  the 
camp,  march."  The  favorite  captain  obeyed,  the  rifle- 
men, with  trailed  arms,  fell  into  file,  and  Long  and  his 
party  soon  disappeared,  but  not  before  the  hardy  fellows 
had  exchanged  opinions  on  the  strange  termination  of 
the  late  affair.  And  they  agreed  nem  couj  that  their 
colonel  was  tricked  (conjured),  or  assuredly,  after  suph  a 
fire  as  they  had  just  given  the  enemy,  such  an  emptying 
of  saddles,  and  such  a  scampering  of  the  troopers,  he 
would  not  have  ordered  his  poor  rifle-boys  from  the  field, 
without  so  much  as  a  few  shirts  or  pairs  of  stockings 
being  divided  amongst  them.  "Yes,"  said  a  tall,  lean 
and  swarthy-looking  fellow,  an  Lidian  himter  fi-om  the 
frontier,  as  he  carefully  placed  his  moccasined  feet,  in  the 
foot-prints  of  his  file-leader,  "  Yes,  my  lads,  it  stands  to 
reason  our  colonel  is  tricked." 

Morgan  followed  slowly  on  the  trail  of  his  men.  The 
full  force  of  his  military  guilt  had  rushed  upon  his  mind, 
even  before  the  reports  of  his  rifles  had  ceased  to  echo  in 
the  neighboring  forests.  He  became  more  and  more 
convinced  of  the  enormity  of  his  o£fence,  as,  with  dull 
and  measured  strides,  he  pinrsued  his  solitary  way,  and 
thus  he  soliloquized : — 

"  Well,  Daniel  Morgan,  you  have  done  for  yom-self 
Broke,  sir,  broke  to  a  certainty.     You  may  go  home,  sir. 


DANIEL  HOBGAN.  315 

to  the  plough ;  your  sword  will  be  of  no  further  use  to 
you.  Broke,  sir,  nothing  can  save  you ;  and  there  is  the 
end  of  Colonel  Morgan.  Fool,  fool — by  a  single  act  of 
madness  thus  to  destroy  the  earnings  of  so  many  toils, 
and  many  a  hard-fought  battle.  You  are  broke,  sir,  and 
thero  is  an  end  of  Colonel  Morgan." 

To  disturb  this  reverie,  there  suddenly  appeared,  at 
fidl  speed,  the  aid-de-camp,  the  Meroury  of  the  field,* 
who,  reining  up,  accosted  the  colonel  with,  "I  am  or- 
dered. Colonel  Morgan,  to  ascertain  whether  the  firing 
just  now  heard,  proceeded  from  your  detachment" — ^  It 
did,  sir,"  replied  Morgan,  doggedly.  ^Then,  colonel," 
continued  the  aid,  *^  I  am  further  ordered  to  require  your 
immediate  attendance  upon  his  excellency,  who  is  fast 
approaching."  Morgan  bowed,  and  the  aid,  wheeling  his 
charger,  galloped  back  to  rejoin  his  chief 

The  gleams  of  the  morning  sun  upon  the  sabres  of  the 
horse-guard,  announced  the  arrival  of  the  dreaded  com- 
mander— that  being  who  inspired  with  a  degree  of  awe 
every  one  who  approached  him.  With  a  stem,  yet  dig- 
nified composure,  Washington  addressed  the  military 
culprit  "  Can  it  be  possible.  Colonel  Morgan,  that  my 
aid-de-camp  has  informed  me  aright?  Can  it  be  pos- 
sible, after  the  orders  you  received  last  evening,  that  the 
firing  we  have  heard  proceeded  from  your  detachment  ? 
Surely,  sir,  my  orders  were  so  explicit  as  not  to  be  easily 
misimderstood."  Morgan  was  brave,  but  it  has  been  often 
and  justly,  too,  observed,  that  that  man  never  was  bom 
of  woman,  who  could  approach  the  great  Washington, 
and  not  feel  a  degree  of  awe  and  veneration  from  his 
presence.    Morgan  quailed  for  a  moment  before  the 

*  Colonel  Alexander  Hamilton. 


316  REOOLLECnONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

stem,  yet  just  displeasure  of  his  chie^  till,  arousing  all 
his  energies  to  the  e£fort,  he  uncovered,  and  replied: 
"Your  excellenc3r's  orders  were  perfectly  well  under- 
stood ;  and,  agreeably  to  the  same,  I  proceeded  with  a 
select  party  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy's  lines  by  night 
We  succeeded  even  beyond  our  expectations,  and  I  was 
returning  to  headquarters  to  make  my  report,  when, 
having  halted  a  few  minutes  to  rest  the  men,  we  dis- 
covered a  party  of  horse  coming  out  from  the  enemy's 
lines.  They  came  up  immediately  to  the  spot  where  we 
lay  concealed  by  the  brushwood.  There  they  halted, 
and  gathered  up  together  like  a  flock  of  partridges, 
affording  me  so  tempting  an  opportunity  of  annoying 
my  enemy,  that — that — may  it  please  your  excellency 
— flesh  and  blood  could  not  refrain." 

At  this  rough,  yet  frank,  bold,  and  manly  explanation, 
a  smile  was  observed  to  pass  over  the  countenances  of 
several  of  the  general's  suite.  The  chief  remained  un- 
moved ;  when,  waving  his  hand,  he  continued :  ^  Colonel 
Morgan,  you  will  retire  to  your  quarters,  there  to  await 
further  orders."  Morgan  bowed,  and  the  military  cortege 
rode  on  to  the  inspection  of  the  outposts. 

Arrived  at  his  quarters,  Morgan  threw  himself  upon 
his  hard  couch,  and  gave  himself  up  to  reflections  upon 
the  events  which  had  so  lately  and  so  rapidly  succeeded 
each  other.  He  was  aware  that  he  had  sinned  past  all 
hope  of  forgiveness.  Within  twenty-four  hours,  he  had 
fallen  from  the  command  of  a  regiment,  and  being  an 
especial  favorite  with  his  general,  to  be,  what — a  dis- 
graced and  broken  soldier.  Condemned  to  retire  from 
scenes  of  glory,  the  darling  passion  of  his  heart — for  ever 
to  abandon  the  "fair  fields  of  fighting,  and  in  obscurity 


DANIEL  MORGAN.  317 

to  drag  out  the  remnant  of  a  wretched  existence,  neg- 
lected and  forgotten.  And  then  his  reputation,  so  nobly 
won,  with  all  his  "blushing  honors"  acquired  in  the 
march  across  the  frozen  wilderness  of  the  Kennebec,  the 
storming  of  the  Lower  Town,  and  the  gallant  and  glo- 
rious combats  of  Saratoga,  to  be  lost  in  a  moment ! 

The  hours  dragged  gloomily  away.  Night  came,  but 
with  it  no  rest  for  the  troubled  spirit  of  poor  Morgan. 
The  drums  and  fifes  merrily  sounded  the  soldiers'  dawn, 
and  the  sun  arose,  giving  ^  promise  of  a  goodly  day." 
And  to  many  within  the  circuit  of  that  widely-extended 
camp  did  its  genial  beams  give  hope,  and  joy,  and  glad- 
ness, while  it  cheered  not  with  a  single  ray  the  despair^ 
ing  leader  of  the  Woodsmen. 

About  ten  o'clock,  the  orderly  on  duty  reported  the 
arrival  of  an  oflScer  of  the  staflf  from  headquarters,  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Hamilton,  the  favorite  aid  of  the 
commander-in-chief,  entered  the  marquee.  "  Be  seated," 
said  Morgan ;  "  I  know  your  errand,  so  be  short  my  dear 
fellow,  and  put  me  out  of  my  misery  at  once.  I  know 
that  I  am  arrested,  'tis  a  matter  of  course.  Well,  there 
is  my  sword ;  but  surely  his  excellency  honors  me,  in- 
deed, in  these  the  last  moments  of  my  military  existence, 
when  he  sends  for  my  sword  by  his  favorite  aid,  and  my 
most  esteemed  friend.  Ah,  my  dear  Hamilton,  if  you 
knew  what  I  have  suffered  since  the  cursed  horse  came 
out  to  tempt  me  to  my  ruin." 

Hamilton,  about  whose  strikingly-intelligent  coun- 
tenance there  always  lurked  a  playful  smile,  now  ob- 
served, "  Colonel  Morgan,  his  excellency  has  ordered  me 
to" — **  I  know  it,"  interrupted  Morgan,  "to  bid  me  pre- 
pare for  trial,  but  pshaw,  why  a  trial !     Guilty,  sir,  guilty. 


818  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINOTON. 

pcust  all  doubt.  But  then  (recollecting  himself),  perhaps 
my  services  might  plead — nonsense!  against  the  dis- 
obedience of  a  positive  order  ?  No,  no,  it  is  all  over  with 
me,  Hamilton,  there  is  an  end  of  your  old  friend,  and  of 
Colonel  Morgan."  The  agonized  spirit  of  our  hero  then 
motmted  to  a  pitch  of  enthusiasm  as  he  exclaimed,  ^  But 
my  country  will  remember  my  services,  and  the  British 
and  Hessians  will  remember  me  too,  for  though  I  may 
be  far  away,  my  brave  comrades  will  do  their  duty,  and 
Morgan's  riflemen  be,  as  they  always  have  been,  a  terror 
to  the  enemy/' 

^he  noble,  the  generous-souled  Hamilton  could  no 
longer  bear  to  witness  the  struggles  of  the  brave  unfor- 
tunate, and  he  called  out:  "Hear  me,  my  dear  colonel, 
only  promise  to  hear  me  for  one  motnent,  and  I  will  tell 
you  all.  "  Go  on,  sir,"  replied  Morgan,  despairingly, "  go 
on." — ^^^Then,"  continued  the  aid-de-camp,  "you  must 
know  that  the  commanders  of  regiments  dine  with  his 
excellency  to-day." — ^  What  of  that,"  again  interrupted 
Morgan,  "  what  has  that  to  do  with  me,  a  prisoner  and — ." 
"No,  no,"  exclaimed  Hamilton,  no  prisoner,  a  once-offend- 
ing, but  now  a  forgiven  soldier.  My  orders  are  to  invite 
you  to  dine  with  his  excellency  to-day  at  three  o'clock 
precisely ;  yes,  my  brave  and  good  friend,  Colonel  Mor- 
gan, you  still  are,  and  likely  long  to  be,  the  valued  and 
famed  commander  of  the  rifle  regiment" 

Morgan  sprang  from  the  camp-bed  on  which  he  was 
sitting,  and  seizing  the  hand  of  the  little  great  man  in 
his  giant  grasp,  wrung  and  wrung,  till  the  aid-de-camp 
literally  struggled  to  get  free,  then  exclaimed,  "Am  I  in 
my  senses  ?  But  I  know  you,  Hamilton,  you  are  too 
noble  a  fellow  to  sport  with  the  feelings  of  an  old  brother- 


DANIEL  MOR0AN.  819 

soldier."  Hamilton  assured  his  friend  that  all  was  true, 
and  gayly  kissing  his  hand  as  he  mounted  his  horse,  bid 
the  now  delighted  colonel  to  remember  three  o'clock, 
and  be  careful  not  to  disobey  a  second  time,  galloped  to 
the  headquarters. 

Morgan  entered  the  pavilion  of  the  commander-in- 
chief,  as  it  was  fast  filling  with  officers,  all  of  whom,  after 
paying  their  respects  to  the  general,  filed  off  to  give  a 
cordial  squeeze  of  the  hand  to  the  commander  of  the 
rifle  regiment,  and  to  whisper  in  his  ear  words  of  con- 
gratulation. The  cloth  removed,  Washington  bid  his 
guests  fill  their  glasses,  and  gave  his  only,  his  unvarving 
toafit,  the  toast  of  the  days  of  trial,  the  toast  of  the  even- 
ing of  his  ^  time-honored"  life  amid  the  shades  of  Mount 
Vernon — ^AS  aur'^Friends''  Then,  with  his  usual  old- 
fashioned  politeness,  he  drank  to  each  guest  by  name. 
When  he  came  to  *^  Colonel  Morgan,  your  good  health, 
sir,"  a  thrill  ran  through  the  manly  frame  of  the  gratified 
and  again  favorite  soldier,  while  every  eye  in  the  pavil- 
ion was  turned  upon  him.  At  an  early  hour  the  com- 
pany broke  up,  and  Morgan  had  a  perfect  escort  of 
oflicers  accompanying  him  to  his  quarters,  all  anxious  to 
congratulate  him  upon  his  happy  restoration  to  rank  and 
&vor,  all  pleased  to  assure  him  of  their  esteem  for  his 
person  and  services. 

And  often  in  his  after  life  did  Morgan  reason  upon  the 
events  which  we  have  transmitted  to  the  Americans  and 
their  posterity,  and  he  would  say :  "  What  could  the  im- 
usual  clemency  of  the  commander-in-chief  toward  so  in- 
subordinate a  soldier  as  I  was,  mean  ?  Was  it  that  my 
attacking  my  enemy  wherever  I  coxild  find  him,  and  the 
attack  being  crowned  with  success,  should  plead  in  bar 


820  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

of  the  disobedience  of  a  positive  order?  Certainly  not 
Was  it  that  Washington  well  knew  I  loved,  nay  adored, 
him  above  all  human  beings  ?  That  knowledge  would 
not  have  weighed  a  feather  in  the  scale  of  his  military 
justice.  In  short,  the  whole  affair  is  explained  in  five 
words ;  U  was  my  first  offemer 

The  clemency  of  Washington  toward  the/r«<  offefnce  pre- 
served to  the  army  of  the  Revolution  one  of  its  most 
valued  and  effective  soldiers,  and  had  its  reward  in  little 
more  than  two  years  from  the  date  of  our  narrative,  when 
Brigadier-General  Morgan  established  his  own  fame,  and 
shed  an  undying  lustre  on  the  arms  of  his  country,  by  the 
glonous  and  ever-memorable  victory  of  the  Cowpens.* 

*  The  sonthem  states  became  the  most  important  theatre  of  military  operations 
in  the  year  1781.  General  Greene  had  been  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the 
southern  department,  in  October,  1780,  and  with  his  asual  skill  and  eneTig7,  airanged 
his  army  for  a  winter  campaign,  in  two  divisions.  With  the  main  army,  Greene  took 
post  at  Cheraw,  eastward  of  the  Pedee,  and  Moigan  (then  promoted  to  brigadier- 
general)  was  sent  with  the  remainder  (about  a  thousand  in  number)  to  occupy  the 
country  near  the  junction  of  the  Pacolet  and  Broad  rivers.  At  that  time,  Comwallis 
was  preparing  to  invade  North  Carolina.  He  found  himself  in  a  dangerous  situa- 
tion, for  he  was  placed  between  the  two  divisions  of  the  republican  army.  Unwill- 
ing to  leave  Morgan  in  his  rear,  he  sent  Tarleton  to  capture  or  disperse  his  troops. 
His  force  was  superior,  and  the  Americans  retreated  northward  for  some  distance. 
At  length  having  reached  a  position  among  the  Thicketty  mountains,  in  Spartanburg 
district,  Morgan  found  himself  compelled  to  fight.  Posting  his  men  upon  an  emi- 
nence, he  turned  and  faced  his  pursuers.  This  movement  disconcerted  Tarleton, 
for  he  expected  to  fall  upon  Morgan  in  the  confusion  of  a  flight.  He  was  confident 
of  an  easy  victory,  however,  and  prepared  for  battle.  On  the  morning  of  the  seven- 
teenth of  January,  1781,  a  furious  contest  began.  For  more  than  two  hours  they 
fought  desperately,  when  the  British  broke  and  fled.  They  lost  almost  three  hun- 
dred men  in  killed  and  wounded,  five  hundred  made  prisoners,  and  a  lai^  quantity 
of  arms,  ammunition,  and  stores.  It  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  victories  achieved 
during  the  war.  Congress  awarded  a  gold  medal  to  General  Morgan,  and  Colonels 
Howard  and  Washington,  who  nobly  seconded  the  general,  each  received  a  silver 
medal.  Morgan  pushed  on  across  the  Catawba  with  his  prisoners,  and  at  the  Yad- 
kin was  joined  by  General  Greene.  Then  commenced  that  remarkable  retreat  of 
Greene  before  Comwallis,  from  the  Yadkin,  beyond  the  Dan,  into  Virginia,  which 
has  arrested  the  attention  of  military  men. 


DANIEL  HOBQAN.  321 

Nearly  twenty  years  more  had  rolled  away,  and  our 
hero,  like  most  of  his  compatriots,  had  beaten  his  sword 
into  a  ploughshare,  and  was  enjoying,  in  the  nddst  of  a 
domestic  circle,  the  evening  of  a  varied  and  eventfiil  life. 
When  advanced  in  years,  and  infirm,  Major-General  Mor- 
gan was  called  to  the  supreme  legislature  of  his  coimtry, 
as  a  representative  of  the  state  of  Virginia.*  It  was  at 
this  period  that  the  author  of  these  Memoirs  had  the 
honor  and  happiness  of  an  interview  with  the  old  gen- 
eral, which  lasted  for  several  days.  And  the  veteran  was 
most  kind  and  communicative  to  one,  who  hailing  from 
the  innnediate  family  of  his  venerated  chie^  foimd  a 
ready  and  a  warm  welcome  to  the  heart  of  Morgan.  And 
many,  and  most  touching  reminiscences  of  the  days  of 
trial  were  related  by  the  once  famed  leader  of  the  woods- 
men, to  the  then  youthfxil  and  delighted  listener,  which 
were  eagerly  devoured,  and  carefully  treasured  in  a  mem- 
ory of  no  ordinary  power. 

And  it  was  there  the  xmlettered  Morgan,  a  man  bred 
amid  the  scenes  of  danger  and  hardihood  that  distin- 
guished the  frontier  warfare,  with  little  book  knowledge, 
but  gifted  by  nature  with  a  strong  and  discriminating 
mind,  paid  to  the  fame  and  memory  of  the  Father  of  our 
Country  a  more  just,  more  magnificent  tribute  than,  in 
our  humble  judgment,  has  emanated  from  the  thousand 
and  one  efforts  of  the  best  and  brightest  geniuses  of  the 
age.  General  Morgan  spoke  of  the  necessity  of  Washing- 
ton to  the  army  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  success  of  the 


*  General  Moi^g;an  was  elected  to  CongjesB  in  1797,  and  senred  two  yean.  In 
Jaly,  1799,  he  published  an  addresB  to  his  constituents,  in  which  he  vindicated  the 
administration  of  President  Adams.  Like  Washington,  Morgan  was  a  federalist. 
The  author  of  these  BecoUectwni  was  then  about  eighteen  yean  of  age. 

21 


822  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINQTON. 

struggle  for  Independence.  He  said  we  had  officers  of 
great  military  talents,  as  for  instance  Greene  and  others; 
we  had  officers  of  the  most  consimimate  com^e  and 
spirit  of  enterprize,  as  for  instance  Wayne  and  others. 
One  was  yet  necessary^  to  guide,  direct,  and  animate  the 
whole,  and  it  pleased  Almighty  God  to  send  that  one  in 
the  person  of  George  Washington ! 


KOBSaET  MOBBIB.  523 


CHAPTER  XIIL 

BOBERT  MOBBIS.'*' 

WnoM  DID  Wabhxhotov  Mon  Lots— WAsnzNOTOir  akd  Orxkicb— -WAsnziroToiv'B  Cautiox 

nr  GVABDIXO  AQAXnVt  JXALOVBin-^IllTIMATS  AoaVAISTAlfOXB  07  WASHIXOTON  —  BOBIBS 

HoxBn— Hn  Finanoial  An>  to  thb  Patbiois— A  OHoexx  Ouut  at  WASHiMOTox'fe 
Tabls — MoHUB'ft  Spxotlatiorb — WAsnnrOTONti  Adtigi  vnxixsdxd — WASHXiraTox  Yxbitb 
Mosxxs  nr  Pbibon  —  Psoysbbiai.  Iboeatxttdx  or  BxpvBLioa. 

It  has  often  been  asked,  ^  Who  were  the  favorites  of 
Washmgton?  whom  did  he  love?"  I  answer,  the  most 
worthy.  Washington  lived  for  his  country,  and  for  her 
so  much  did  he  "  live  and  move,"  and  almost  "  have  his 
being,"  that  when  he  loved  a  man,  that  man  must  love 
his  country. 

In  the  War  for  Independence,  Greene  was  his  HephsBs- 
tion,f  yet  such  was  his  delicacy  in  bestowing  praise, 

*  Fint  published  in  the  Philadelphia  National  Gazette,  on  the  twentj-ninth  of 
Jnne,  1826. 

t  Nathaniel  Greene  was  bom  of  Quaker  parents,  at  Warwick,  in  Bhode  Island,  in 
1740.  He  was  trained  to  the  occupadon  of  an  anchor-smith,  the  business  of  his 
iiiUher.  He  was  quick  and  studious,  and  while  jet  a  boy,  had  learned  some  Latin 
and  collected  a  small  library.  He  loved  to  read  books  on  militaiy  subjects.  At  the 
age  of  twentj-one  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Rhode  Island  legislature ;  and, 
foil  of  zeal  for  republican  principles,  he  hesitated  not  a  moment  to  take  up  arms 
for  his  country,  contrary  to  the  practices  and  traditions  of  his  sect.  He  took  the 
command  of  three  regiments  of  the  Army  of  Oheervation,  which  Hhode  Island  sent  to 
Boxbury  after  the  aiFair  at  Lexington.  The  Quakers  disowned  him,  and  the  Con- 
gress made  him  a  brigadier-general.  All  through  the  long  struggle  of  seven  years, 
ha  was  the  most  useful  of  all  the  officers ;  and  in  genuine  military  genius,  was  in 
some  respects  superior  to  Washington.  He  retired  to  Rhode  Island  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  war,  and  soon  afterward  went  to  Georgia  to  look  after  an  estate  near 
Savannah,  which  that  state  had  given  him.    There,  in  June,  17S6,  he  was  prostrated 


324  RECOLLEOnOMB  0?  WAflHINQTON. 

even  where  most  deserved,  that  he  declined  the  mentionr 
ing  of  Greene's  division,  which  had  so  gallantly  covered 
the  retreat  from  Brondywine,  saying  to  that  illustrious 
commander,  who  prayed  that  his  comrades  might  receive 
their  well-earned  commendation :  ^  You,  sir,  are  con- 
sidered in  this  army  as  my  favorite  officer ;  your  divi- 
sion is  composed  of  southrons,  my  more  immediate 
countrymen    Such  are  my  reasons."* 

It  has  been  thought  that  certain  vivacious  personages, 
as  Gouvemeur  Morris,  and  General  Henry  Lee,  were  in 
the  habit  of  taking  liberties  with  the  chief  Around  the 
Father  of  his  Country,  his  virtues  and  character  created 
an  atmosphere  of  awe  and  veneration,  in  which  undue 
familiarity  could  not  have  existed  for  a  moment  No 
men  living  were  more  ardently  attached  to  the  chief 
than  the  Revolutionary  statesman  and  distinguished  of* 
ficer  alluded  to.  They  possessed  brilliant  talents,  had 
rendered  conspicuous  services,  and  were  the  most  plea- 


by  a  "smi-Btroke/'  and  died  on  the  nineteenth  of  that  month,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
six  jean. 

Greene  was  truly  to  Washington  what  Hephaestion  was  to  Alexander.  He  loved 
him  tenderly,  and  from  the  earliest  moment  of  their  acquaintance,  their  attach- 
ment  was  warm  and  sincere.  Alexander  nsed  to  say,  in  speaking  of  the  intimacy 
between  his  friend  and  himself,  that  "  Craterus  was  the  friend  of  the  king,  faol 
HephsBstion  was  the  friend  of  Alexander."  Snch  was  the  relationship  between 
Washington  and  (keene. 

*  One  of  the  most  delicate  duties  to  which  Washington  was  called,  during  tha 
earlier  years  of  the  war  particularly,  was  the  silencing  of  jealousies  among  the  officers. 
They  all  soon  learned  so  to  confide  in  his  justice,  that  he  seldom  failed  in  his  efforts 
to  aUay  unpleasant  feelings.  But  while  he  desired  to  avoid  every  appeaimnce  of 
favoritism,  he  never  failed  to  employ,  in  a  manner,  and  in  a  position  that  he  deemed 
best  for  the  public  service,  those  whom  his  judgment  approved.  In  Greene  he  dis- 
covered rare  talent  for  every  kind  of  military  service  requiring  great  executive  ability, 
and  he  never  hesitated  to  give  him  his  proper  position ;  but,  as  in  the  instance 
mentioned  in  the  text,  he  avoided  the  public  expression  of  his  opinion  of  his  superior 
merits,  so  as  not  to  offend  others  unnecessarily. 


BOBsaT  MOBBia  825 

durable  companions  of  tiieir  tune.  These  considerations, 
together  with  the  absence  of  restraint  at  the  private  par- 
ties of  the  president^  gave  rise  to  the  idea  that  there 
were  certain  characters  who  could  approach  without 
reserve,  and  even  toy  with  the  passive  lion.  But  the 
lion,  though  passive,  was  the  lion  still.  He  could  always 
be  approached,  and  sometimes  in  sportive  mood,  but  not 
so  near  as  to  lay  hand  upon  his  mane.* 

If  I  am  asked — ^  And  did  not  Washington  unbend  and 
admit  to  familiarity,  and  social  friendship,  some  one  per* 
son,  to  whom  age  and  long  and  interesting  associations 
gave  peculiar  privilege,  the  privilege  of  the  heart  ?"* — ^I 
answer,  that  favored  individual  was  Bobert  Morris. 

The  general-in-chief  of  the  armies  of  Independence,  in 
the  relief  afforded  to  the  privations  of  his  suffering  sol- 
diery, first  learned  the  value  of  Bobert  Morris.  It  was 
he  who  brought  order  out  of  chaos,  and  whose  talent 
and  credit  sustained  the  cause  of  his  country  in  her  worst 
of  times.f     Virtues  and  services  like  these  endeared 

*  See  note  on  page  175. 

t  Mr.  Morris  WM  one  of  the  Fennsylrania  delegates  in  the  second  continental 
Congress;  and  a  few  weeks  after  he  had  taken  his  seat,  in  1775,  he  was  placed 
•pon  the  secret  committeo  whose  dntj  it  was  to  contract  for  the  importation  of 
mnnitions  of  war.  He  was  also  on  a  committee  for  fitting  ont  a  naral  armament, 
sod  specially  to  negotiate  bills  of  exchange  for  Congress  to  borrow  monej  for  the 
marine  committee,  and  to  manage  the  fiscal  concerns  of  Congress  upon  other  occa- 
^ns.  From  that  time  he  was  the  accredited  and  efilcient  financier  of  the  ReTolntion- 
ny  goremment.  His  priyate  commercial  credit  was  such,  that  all  men  had  con- 
fidence in  him  as  the  public  agent.  Instances  of  his  affording  pecuniary  assistance 
to  the  armj  have  already  been  gtren  in  these  pages.  On  one  occasion  he  became 
perMnally  responsible  for  a  quantity  of  lead  for  the  use  of  the  army;  at  another, 
when  the  Congress  was  utterly  without  cash  or  credit,  he  supplied  the  army  with 
four  or  fire  thousand  barrels  of  flour ;  when  the  French  troops  came,  he  borrowed 
twenty  thousand  dollars  in  specie  on  his  own  credit  from  Rochambeau.  After  the 
ooBtinental  money  became  ralaeless,  Robert  Morris's  notes  formed  a  part  of  the 
reliable  drenlating  medium.    When,  In  1781,  a  bank  for  goTemment  purposes  was 


326  BscouiBonoNB  op  washinqton. 

their  possessor  to  the  paternal  chief,  in  whose  heart  the 
financier  of  the  Revolution  held  an  esteem  which  neither 
time  nor  misfortmie  could  alter  or  impair. 

Mr.  Morris  was  ever  a  welcome  guest  at  the  private  and 
select  parties  of  the  president  So  much  was  this  a  matter 
of  course,  that  the  steward,  having  first  placed  Mr.  M/s 
favorite  wine  at  the  plate  immediately  on  the  right  of 
the  chief,  would  repair  to  the  dwelling  of  Morris,  and 
observe,  "The  president  dines  with  a  select  party  of 
friends  to-day,  and  expects  your  company  as  usual."* 

When  Mr.  Morris  first  engaged  in  those  speculations 
which  terminated  so  unhappily,  Washington,  with  the 
privilege  of  sincere  friendship,  remonstrated,  observing, 
"  You  are  old,  and  had  better  retire,  rather  than  engage 
in  such  extensive  concerns."  Morris  replied,  ^  Your  ad- 
vice is  proof  of  that  wisdom  and  prudence  which  govern 
all  your  words  and  actions :  but,  my  dear  general,  I  can 
never  do  things  in  the  small ;  I  must  be  either  a  man  cr 
a  nwuBeP-\ 

established  in  Philadelphia,  he  subscribed  ten  thousand  pounds,  and  induced  othen 
to  swell  the  amount  to  throe  hundred  thousand  pounds.  Other  instances  of  the 
manner  in  which,  financially,  he  supported  the  cause,  might  be  given,  but  these  will 
suffice.  Botta,  in  his  History  of  the  Berolntion,  says,  ''  certainly  the  Americans 
owed,  and  still  owe,  as  much  acknowledgment  to  the  financial  operations  of  Robert 
Morris,  as  to  the  negotiations  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  or  even  the  arms  of  Geoige 
Washington." 

*  This  was  when  the  seat  of  goremment  was  in  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Monis  held 
the  very  first  social  position  in  that  city.  For  nearly  half  a  centuiy,  an  intro- 
duction to  Robert  Morris  was  a  matter  in  course,  with  all  strangers  who  visited 
Philadelphia  on  commercial,  public,  or  private  business,  and  he  was  considered  by 
all  as  a  representative  of  the  city. 

t  Washington  was  at  that  time  quite  laigely,  but  not  injudiciously,  engaged  in 
land  speculations  with  Governor  Qeoige  Clinton  and  others,  although  his  name  did 
not  publicly  appear  as  such.  At  the  time  alluded  to  in  the  text,  a  gigantic  land 
speculation,  known  as  the  scheme  of  the  "North  American  Land  Ck>mpany," 
had  been  commenced,  and  Mr.  Morris  was  one  of  the  principal  partners.    He  soli 


ROBERT  MORRIS.  327 

In  1798,  when  the  lieutenant-general  and  commandeiv 
inrchief  repaired  to  Philadelphia  to  superintend  the 
organization  of  his  last  anny,^  tnunindM  of  the  dignity, 
wealth,  and  splendor  which  crowded  to  greet  his  arrival, 
he  paid  his  first  visit  to  the  prison-house  of  Bobert 
Morris.f    The  old  man  wrung  the  hand  of  the  chief  in 

cited  Washington  to  join  in  the  speculation.  He  declined,  and  gave  Morris  the 
adrioe  aix>ye  menUoned.  The  chief  parties  in  the  company  (which  was  organized 
in  1785},  were  Robert  MorriSi  James  Greenleaf,  and  John  Nicholsom  The  Iand» 
for  which  they  paid  large  sams  of  money,  lay  in  the  states  of  FennsylTania,  Vir- 
ginia, North  and  Soath  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Kentucky,  in  all  six  millions  of  acres. 
Their  intention  was  to  sell  the  lands  at  a  handsome  profit,  to  small  speculators  and 
actual  settlers,  at  the  ayerage  price  of  fifty  cents  an  acre.  Several  years  afterward, 
Mr.  Morris  became  concerned  with  others  in  the  purchase  of  over  a  million  of  acres 
in  western  New  York,  at  sixteen  cents  an  acre.  This  speculation,  with  the  whole 
former  scheme,  was  a  failure.  Morris  and  Nicholson  were  utterly  mined.  The 
latter,  who  was  at  one  time  comptroller-general  of  the  state  of  Pennsylyania,  died, 
it  is  said,  leaving  unpaid  debts  to  an  immense  amount.  Mr.  Morris  was  finally 
consigned  to  the  debtor's  apartment  of  the  Walnut-street  prison,  to  which  was 
attached  a  small  garden,  in  which  he  was  permitted  to  exercise.  There  he  remained 
»  long  time,  and  suffered  much.  He  died  in  1806;  leaving  a  widow,  a  sister  of 
Bishop  White. 

*  John  Adams  was  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States  in  March,  1797.  He 
■ought  diligently  to  reconcile  disputes  that  had  arisen  between  the  governments  of 
the  United  States  and  France,  bat  without  success ;  and  when  Congress  assembled 
in  December  that  year,  war  measures  were  adopted.  In  May,  1798,  quite  a  laige 
standing  army  was  authorized.  Washington  had  expressed  his  approval  of  the 
measure,  and  in  July  he  was  appointed  the  commander-in-chief.  He  consented  to 
accept  the  office,  only  on  the  condition  that  Qeneral  Hamilton  should  be  the  acting 
commander-in-chief,  for  the  retired  president  was  unwilling  to  take  the  field,  unless 
the  most  urgent  necessity  should  demand  it. 

t  The  debton'  apartment  of  the  Walnut-street  prison  was  on  Prune  street 
Though  suffering  in  bodily  health,  Mr.  Morris's  mind  was  cheerful  under  the  weight 
of  his  misfbrtunes.  On  one  occasion  he  wrote  the  following  playful  note  to  his  old 
partner  in  speculations  :«- 

"  Messrs.  Henry  Banks,  David  Allison  and  Robert  Morris  present  their  compli- 
ments to  John  Nicholson,  Esq.,  and  request  the  favor  of  his  company  to  dine  with 
them  at  the  hotel  with  grated  doors,  in  Prune  street,  at  one  o'clock,  on  Sunday  next, 
pledging  themselves  most  solemnly  that  to  him  the  doors  will  be  open  for  admission 

and  departure  on  that  day. 

"Pridat  Mobstino,  nth  May,  1798. 

"  Dear  sir :  I  have  written  the  above  not  only  with  the  consent,  but  at  the  request 


328  RECOLLBCnONB  OF  WASHINGTON. 

ffllence,  while  his  tearfiil  eye  gave  the  welcome  to  such 
an  home.  The  mouse  was,  indeed,  in  his  iron-bound 
cage ;  but^  in  the  United  States  of  America,  for  Robert 
Morris  to  have  been  imprisoned,  in  character^  the  bars 
should  have  been  of  gold.  How  is  this,  Americans  ?  Is  it 
not  the  condenmation  of  Manlius  on  the  Capitoline  hiU, 
a  crime  which  the  heathen  Boman  dared  not  commit  ? 
The  financier  of  the  Revolution,  whose  talent^  whose 
credit  sustained  the  cause  of  his  country  in  that  country's 
utmost  need !  Whatever  may  have  been  his  misfortunes, 
say  his  faults,  did  not  his  generous  services  ^  plead  like 
angels,  trumpet-tongued,  against  the  deep  damnation,'* 

of  the  parties,  and  it  is  done  after  eonsalting  Mr.  Hoffoer,  who  solemnly  assures  as 
that  nothing  can  operate  as  a  detainer  bnt  a  bail-piece,  and  I  think  yon  have  no  snch 
thing  to  fear ;  or  if  there  is  any  special  bail  for  yon,  it  is  John  Baker,  on  whom  yon 
can  safely  rely.  Come,  therefore,  my  friend,  as  early  in  the  forenoon  as  yon  can, 
that  we  may  have  some  conversation  before  as  well  as  after  dinner.  We  will  show 
you  how  we  live  here,  that  yon  may  be  prepared  to  bear  your  fate,  should  it  be  de- 
cided that  you  are  to  become  a  boarder  at  this  hotel. 

"  I  am  your  fHend  and  servant, 

"  BOBBBT  MOBBIS. 

"Afoyll,  1798. 

"  Jno.  Nicholson,  Esq." 

Mr.  Nicholson  afterward  became  a  regular  inmate  of  the  same  "  hotel,"  where  he 
edited  a  newspaper." 

William  B.  Wood,  the  celebrated  actor,  was  a  compulsory  guest  at  the  same 
"  hotel  with  grated  doors,"  for  a  short  time,  and  has  left  on  record  the  following 
account  of  his  interview  with  Robert  Morris  there  :— 

"  Mr.  Morris  appeared  cheerful,  returned  my  salutation  in  the  politest  manner, 
but  in  silence,  continuing  his  walk,  and  dropping  from  his  hand  at  a  given  spot,  a 
pebble  on  each  round,  until  a  certain  number  which  he  had  in  his  hand  was  ex- 
hausted. For  some  mornings  the  same  silence  prevailed,  until  at  length,  observing 
my  languid  deportment,  he  suddenly  stopped,  inquired  whether  I  was  111,  and  added 
with  something  like  severity,  '  Sir,  this  is  but  an  ill  place  for  one  so  sickly,  and 
apparently  to  young,'  He  seemed  to  wait  for  some  kind  of  explanation,  whic&  I 
found  myself  either  unable  or  unwilling  to  give — and  then  passed  on.  From  this 
time  he  spoke  to  me  almost  daily,  and  always  with  great  kindness.  On  one  occa> 
sion  he  unbent  much  more  than  usual,  and  oflfered  some  remarks  which  embraced 
much  good  counsel.    In  more  than  one  instance  he  favored  me  with  friendly  notice." 


BOBEBT  UOBBIS. 

cf  such  an  home  far  Jus  age?  And,  when  broken-hearted, 
pennyless,  friendless,  and  forgotten,  his  gray  hairs  de- 
scended in  sorrow  to  the  grave,  how  was  the  last  duty 
paid  to  him,  to  whom  we  owed  so  much  ?  How  many 
of  those  who  had  basked  in  the  sunshine  of  his  prosperity, 
fed  at  his  ever  hospitable  board,  and  drank  of  his  ever 
flowing  cup,  followed  his  hearse  ?  Where  the  corporate 
bodies — where  the  long  trains  of  youth  who  were  led  up 
to  pay  their  last  homage  to  the  repvbUc'a  hemf actor  ?^ 

*  Unfortiinatelj  onr  history  affords  a  parallel.  Colonel  William  Barton,  of 
Bhode  Island,  received  a  grant  of  land  in  Vermont  for  his  Beyolatiottarj  serriees. 
By  the  transfer  of  some  of  this  land  he  became  entangled  in  the  toils  of  the  lav,  and 
was  imprisoned  for  debt  in  Vermont  for  many  years,  nntU  the  visit  of  Lafayette  to 
this  country  in  1825.  That  illostrious  man,  hearing  of  the  incarceration  of  Colonel 
Barton  and  its  cause,  liquidated  the  claim  against  him,  and  restored  his  fellow- 
soldier  to  liberty.  It  was  a  noble  act,  and  significantly  rebuked  the  Shylock  who 
held  the  patriot  in  bondage,  and  clamored  for  "  the  pound  of  flesh."  This  circum- 
stance drew  fipom  Whittier  his  glorious  poem.  The  Prisoner  fir  Dd4,  in  which  he 

"  What  has  the  gray-haired  prisoner  done  ? 

Has  murder  stained  his  hands  with  gore  % 
Not  so ;  his  crime 's  a  fouler  one : 

God  made  the  old  man  poor  / 
For  this  he  shares  a  felon's  cell. 

The  fittest  earthly  type  of  hell  1 
For  this,  the  boon  for  which  he  poured. 
His  young  blood  on  the  invader's  sword. 
And  counted  light  the  fearful  cost — 
His  blood-gained  liberty  is  lost 
•  *  *  * 

Down  with  the  law  that  binds  him  thus  I 

Unworthy  freemen,  let  it  find 
Ko  refuge  from  the  withering  curse 

Of  God  and  human  kind ! 

Open  the  prisoner's  living  tomb. 

And  usher  fh>m  its  brooding  gloom 

The  victims  of  your  savage  code 

To  the  free  sun  and  air  of  God  I 

Ko  longer  dare,  as  crime,  to  brand 

The  chastening  of  the  Almighty's  hand  1" 


330  BEOOLLBCnONff  OF  WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THOMAS  NEL80N. 

Vsuox^  AjronroBS— Hn  Eaxlt  Explotkbtis  —  A  Hah  of  Foanrm— Kikduso  of  nn 
BsTOLunox  IK  YnoxHiA— NsxJOH  A  MsxBXB  OF  C0XOBM8  nr  1776— Ihflvshos  of  lbaih 
ur«  MDrM-^MiFrLnr  snrr  to  Bscbuxt  fox  nn  Asirr— Nsuoir  oxoAirixBS  a  Cokps  of 
Oataxbt— Elsgtsd  OoTXUfos  OF  TotanrxA— AxiroLi)  akd  Coskwalub— Amxbioax 

MXUTAXT  LXADXBS  IN  YliaiXIA— -DBPBlOXATIOir  OF  COXTIVXIITAL  MOITBT— THB  PlOFUi 
AVOID  XT  — NBUOH'S  KoBUE  ExAHPU— AjTSCDOTS  of  HnPATXXOTXSM  TOLD  BT  LAFATVm 
—  Hk  BoBXOWB  MoKVT  fox  PvBUO  BsKTIOBB  on    HIB  OWX  BBBrOHBIBlLITT— PmuoKBO- 

LBor— Thx  Famiuab  Fkxkzidb  OF  WABHxaroTON— Kbxjboh'b  Faxxlt  Uicbxwabdbd. 

Among  the  patriots^  statesmen,  and  soldiers  that  Vir- 
ginia contributed  to  the  Congress  and  armies  of  the  Ke- 
volution,  Thomas  Nelson  will  ever  claim  an  elevated 
rank.  Descended  from  ancient  and  highly  respectable 
English  ancestry,  General  Nelson  was  educated  in  Eng- 
land, and  was  engaged,  prior  to  the  Revolution,  in  mer- 
cantile concerns,  upon  an  extensive  scale,  atYorktown, 
in  Virginia,  strange  to  say,  at  that  period  the  importiig 
city  for  Philadelphia.* 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  troubles,  Nelson  joined 
the  cause  of  the  colonies.    He  was  a  man  of  large  cor- 

*  Yorktown  is  now  an  inconBiderable  yillagei  containing  about  three  hundisd  in- 
habitants. It  is  still  a  port  of  entry,  bnt  commerce  has  deserted  it,  and  the  yiUg«  is 
going  into  decaj.  A  conrthonse  was  bnilt  there  in  the  year  1698 ;  and  an  old  dinrch 
which  was  destroyed  in  1814,  had  in  it  a  bell  inscribed,  "  County  of  York,  'Wginia, 
1725."  The  church  was  bnik  at  the  close  of  the  proTious  century,  out  of  tie  stone 
marl  which  composes  the  bluff  on  which  the  town  stands.  The  water-seKiery  at 
Yorktown  is  rery  fine.  The  York  river  is  there  a  fuU'mile  wide,  and  from  iie  mins 
or  site  of  the  old  church,  no  land  is  yisibla  In  the  direction  of  Chesapeskebay,  into 
which  the  rirer  flows. 


THOMAS  NELSON.  33] 

tune,  having  many  and  valuable  estates  in  dijQbrent  coxui- 
ties,  particularly  the  county  of  Hanover.  Greatly  be- 
loved in  his  native  colony,  he  held  a  high  and  command- 
ing influence  among  the  people.  He  threw  all  into  the 
scale  of  his  coimtry,  in  her  struggle  for  the  natural  rights 
of  mankind. 

After  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Virginia  put  forth  all 
her  strength  in  the  senate  and  the  field.  The  very  eBe 
of  her  statesmen  had  been  sent  to  the  Congress  of  1774,* 

*  Failing  in  their  efforts  to  obtain  a  redress  of  their  grierances,  bj  remonstranoea 
and  petitions,  the  colonists,  in  1774,  resolved  to  call  a  general  congress  of  represen- 
tatires.  These  were  chosen  in  the  several  colonies  during  the  spring  and  summer, 
and  on  the  fifth  of  September  thej  assembled,  by  appointment,  in  a  building  known 
as  Carpenter's  Hall,  in  Philadelphia.  Some  of  the  wisest  and  best  men  in  America 
were  there.  Their  sessions  continued  until  the  twenty-sixth  of  October ;  and  during 
that  time  they  discussed  the  great  questions  of  the  day  in  such  manner  that  the  repre- 
sentatiyes  of  each  colony  became  well  informed  respecting  the  temper  of  the  people 
in  genera],  and  were  prepared  to  enter,  into  that  union  of  effort  for  independence 
which  was  soon  afterward  formed.  Twelve  of  the  thirteen  colonies  were  represented. 
Georgia  was  the  exception.  The  delegates  from  Virginia  were— Peyton  Randolph^ 
George  Washington,  Richard  Henry  Lee,  Patrick  Henry,  and  Richard  Bland. 

The  author  of  these  ReeoUecUoM  relates  the  following  anecdote,  in  connection  with 
this  Congress,  upon  the  authority  of  Lndwell  Lee,  son  of  Richard  Henry  Lee : 
"When  the  first  continental  congress  assembled  at  Philadelphia,  September,  1774, 
there  had  been  no  provision  made  for  the  maintenance  of  the  members,  while  in  the 
diachaige  of  their  public  duties.  A  council  being  held  to  determine  as  to  the  ways 
and  means  of  effecting  this  most  just  and  necessary  arrangement,  Richard  Henry 
Lee  (the  same  who  afterward,  in  '76,moved  the  Declaration  of  Independence) ,  rose,  and 
observed,  that  as  he  was  assured  that  every  member  present  was  desirous  of  putting 
the  country  to  the  least  possible  expense,  in  the  maintenan^  of  the  Congress,  he 
would  move,  that  during  the  session,  the  honorable  members  be  fed  on  wild  pigeoiu, 
that  article  appearing  to  be  in  very  great  abundance,  and  certainly  the  very  cheapest 
food  in  the  market. 

"  Now  let  the  modem  reader  remember,  that  this  Richard  Henry  Lee  was  bred  in 
the  lap  of  luxury,  educated  in  Europe,  and  possessed  the  most  polished  and  courtly 
manners,  while  his  seat  of  Chantilly,  which  he  had  just  left  to  obey  the  high  and 
imposing  call  of  his  country,  was  at  once  the  seat  of  the  most  refined  and  enlarged 
hospitality. 

"  This  illustrious  patriot  and  statesmen,  often  congratulated  himself  in  his  later  life, 
open  his  famed  motion  touching  the  maintenance  of  the  members  of  the  first  Con- 


332  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINOTON. 

while  the  pride  of  her  chivalry  took  arms  in  the  succeed- 
ing year.  Among  the  illustrious  names  that  composed 
the  Virginia  delegation  to  the  Roman-like  senate  of  1776, 
we  find  the  name  of  Thomas  Nelson,  junior,  who  affixed 
his  signature  to  the  Declaration  of  Independence  on  the 
ever-memorable  fourth  of  July. 

The  state  of  society  in  the  South  in  the  olden  time  was 
very  different  from  that  of  modem  days,  under  the 
republic.  Under  the  ancien  regime  there  were  but  two 
orders  in  society — the  rich  and  educated,  and  the  poor. 
Hence^  the  higher  classes,  as  they  were  then  called,  held  a 
most  material  influence  over  those  who  were  not  so  for^ 
tunately  situated.  Men  of  extensive  personal  influence 
over  the  minds  of  the  people  at  large,  were  all-important 
to  the  cause  of  American  liberty  in  the  conunencement 
and  during  the  whole  progress  of  the  Revolution,  with 
the  view  of  difiusing  and  fostering  the  whig  spirit^  in 
opposition  to  the  powerful  and  ably-directed  efforts  of 
the  tories."^ 

It  is  well  known  to  history,  that  the  commander-in* 
chief  spared,  at  a  very  critical  period  of  the  war,  an  active 
and  valued  officer  (Mifflin),  that  he  might  exert  his  per- 
sonal influence  among  the  people  of  his  native  state,  to 
recruit  the  wasted  ranks  of  the  army .f 

grass,  declaring;  it  to  have  been  in  parity  of  patriotisnii  not  secondary  to  eren  bis 
immortal  resolve  in  '76,  '  That  these  united  colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be 
free  and  independent  states.'^-Such  was  a  patriot  of  our  olden  time." 

*  The  terms  whig  and  tory  had  then  long  been  used  in  England,  as  titles  of  political 
parties,  and  continae  to  be  so  nsed  to  the  present  day.  The  former  denoted  the 
opposers  of  royalty;  the  latter  indicated  its  supporters.  These  terms  were  intro* 
duced  into  America  two  or  three  years  before  the  Berolation  broke  oat,  and  became 
the  distinctire  titles  of  patriots  and  loyalists. 

t  It  was  late  in  the  autumn  of  1776,  while  Washington  and  his  little  army  were 
retreating  toward  the  Delaware,  across  New  Jersey.    The  army  was  rapidly  meltiag 


THOMAS  NELSON.  S83 

On  his  return  to  Virginia  from  serving  in  the  continen- 
tal Congress,  General  Nelson  exerted  himself  in  keeping 
alive  the  spirit  of  the  Revolution,  which  was  often  flagging 
from  the  severe  disasters  that  had  attended  our  arms. 
He  was  also  actively  employed  in  organizing  a  corps  of 
cavalry,  in  which  yoimg  gentlemen  of  the  first  families 
served  as  volimteers.  This  corps  he  commanded  up  to 
the  double  invasion  of  1781,*  when,  upon  being  elected 
governor  of  the  state,  he  took  the  command  in  chief  of 
its  militia. 

The  invasion  of  Arnold  was  more  immediately  predar 
tory,  but  that  of  Comwallis  swept  like  a  tempest  through 
the  devoted  commonwealth,  already  much  weakened  by 
her  untiring  exertions  to  sustain  the  army  of  Greene  in 
the  Carolinas,  and  to  defend  the  many  points  of  her  ter- 
ritory, assailable  by  the  attacks  of  the  enemy's  naval 
power.f 

bjr  desertions  and  the  expiration  of  terms  of  enlistment.  It  was  a  most  gloomy 
period  of  the  contest,  and  few  hoped  for  success  in  the  field.  However,  Washing 
ton  determined  to  hare  personal  appeals  made  to  the  people  for  the  purpose  of 
recruiting  his  army,  and  he  sent  the  eloquent  and  popular  General  Mifflin  into  Penn- 
sylvania, "  to  exhort  and  rouse  the  militia  to  come  forth  in  defence  of  their  coantry." 
In  Philadelphia  he  was  very  successfal,  and  very  soon  he  was  at  the  head  of  fifteen 
hundred  new  recruits,  in  full  march  upon  Trenton,  to  join  the  army  under  Wash- 
ington. 

*  Early  in  January,  1781,  Benedict  Arnold,  zealous  in  the  cause  of  his  royal 
purchaser,  went  to  Virginia  with  about  sixteen  hundred  British  and  tory  troops,  and 
a  few  armed  vessels.  He  went  up  the  James  river,  as  far  as  Richmond,  and  de- 
stroyed much  public  and  private  property,  and  then  returned  to  Portsmouth.  In 
April,  he  accompanied  General  Philips  up  the  same  river,  on  a  desolating  expedition. 
They  were  joined  at  Petersburg  by  Oornwallis,  who  had  invaded  the  state  from  North 
Carolina,  and  who  then  took  the  general  command.  Lafayette  was  sent  into  Vir- 
ginia, and  manoeuvred  skilfully  against  this  "double  invasion."  He  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  Wayne  and  Steuben. 

t  Toward  the  close  of  1775,  British  vessels,  under  the  general  direction  of  Lord  Dun- 
more,  the  royal  governor  of  Vii^ginia,  who  had  been  compelled  to  flee  from  Williams- 
burg, were  instrumental  in  great  ravages  along  the  Virginia  coast,  especially  in  the 


834  BEC0LLECTI0N8  OF  WASHINQTON. 

The  forces  under  Steuben,  Lafayette,  and  subsequently 
Wayne,  were  too  limited  in  point  of  numbers,  and  too 
much  straitened  for  supplies  of  every  sort,  to  be  able  to 
check  the  victorious  career  of  the  enemy  *  Indeed,  the 
resources  of  Virginia,  great  as  they  originally  were,  had 
been  sadly  reduced  in  the  previous  campaign  by  the 
capture  of  her  veteran  regiments  on  the  surrender  of 
Charleston,!  by  the  total  discomfiture  at  Camden, J  but, 

vicinity  of  the  capes.  Norfolk  was  barned,  and  all  along  the  Elizabeth  river,  to 
Hampton  roads,  a  vast  amount  of  property,  public  and  private,  was  destroyed.  In 
1779,  Sir  George  Collier,  with  land  troops,  under  General  Mathews,  again  produced 
great  distress  along  the  shores  of  the  same  waters ;  and  the  armed  vessels  under 
Arnold,  in  1781,  were  no  better  than  pirates. 

*  Comwallis  penetrated  Vii^nia  beyond  Richmond,  and  destroyed  an  immense 
amount  of  property.  Ho  sent  out  marauding  parties  in  every  direction,  to  harass 
the  inhabiunts,  and  for  several  weeks  the  whole  state  was  kept  in  great  alarm. 
Tarleton  and  Simcoe,  active  officers,  at  the  head  of  enei^tic  and  well-disciplined 
corps,  were  busy  in  all  quarters,  and  Lafayette  found  it  quite  impossible  to  stem 
the  torrent  of  invasion.  But  when  Wayne,  with  reinforcements,  was  approaching 
from  the  north,  Comwallis  turned  his  face  seaward,  and  slowly  retreated  down  the 
peninsula  toward  Williamsbui^. 

t  In  the  spring  of  1780,  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  having  arrived  at  Charleston  with  a 
large  force,  borne  by  a  fleet  under  Admiral  Arbuthnot,  invested  that  city.  The 
siege  went  on  for  several  weeks ;  the  Americans  within  the  city  being  under  the 
command  of  General  Lincoln.  Finally,  Comwallis  came  with  a  reinforcement  of 
three  thousand  men.  On  the  ninth  of  May,  a  general  cannonade  from  the  ships  and 
the  land  batteries  commenced,  and  it  was  kept  up  for  two  days.  On  the  night  of 
the  eleventh  it  was  perceived  that  further  resistance  would  be  madness.  They 
offered  to  surrender,  and  on  the  following  day,  the  army,  city,  all  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  conquerors. 

I  General  Gates  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  southem  army,  after  the 
surrender  of  Lincoln  at  Charleston.  Comwallis  hod  been  left  in  the  chief  command 
of  the  British  in  South  Carolina,  and  Sir  Henry  Clinton  had  retumed  to  New  York. 
In  order  to  make  the  subjugation  of  the  South  complete,  the  British  army,  in  three 
divisions,  marched  Into  the  interior,  leaving  a  garrison  for  Charleston.  One  divi- 
sion, under  Colonel  Brown,  marched  to  Augusta,  in  Georgia;  a  second,  under 
Colonel  Crager,  penetrated  the  country  to  Ninety-Six,  in  Western  Carolina;  and  a 
third,  under  Lord  Rawdon,  took  post  at  Camden.  Toward  the  latter  place  Gates 
approached,  early  in  August.  He  resolved  to  fall  upon  Bawdon  on  the  night  of 
the  fifteenth  of  August,  and  marched  from  his  camp  confident  of  success,  for  that 
purpose.    At  the  same  time,  Comwallis  (who  had  hastened  to  Camden  on  hearing 


THOBiAS  jm^om.  835 

above  all,  by  the  enormous  depreciation  of  the  paper 
money ;  all  which  causes  combined  to  elevate  the  hopes 
of  the  enemy,  and  cast  a  shadow  over  those  of  the 
fiiends,  of  American  liberty.  To  such  a  wretched  state 
of  depreciation  had  the  paper  money  arrived  at  this 
period,  that,  in  numberless  instances,  persons  were  known 
to  have  concealed  their  horses  and  oxen  in  the  woods 
and  swamps  rather  than  hire  them  to  the  transportation 
department  of  the  army,  when  the  hire  was  to  be  ac- 
counted for  in  continental  bills,  which  had  become  almost 
valueless.* 

of  the  approach  of  Gates)  and  Rawdon,  informed  of  (jktes's  moyement,  marched 
northward  to  fall  upon  the  Americans.  The  sand  was  deep,  the  footfalls  were  on- 
heard,  and  the  belligerents  met  in  the  dark,  at  Sanders'  Creek.  The  next  morning 
a  serere  battle  ensaed,  the  Americans  were  completely  routed,  and  another  sonthcm 
army  was  lost. 

*  After  the  Congress  had  recognised  the  troops  at  Boston  as  a  continental  army, 
in  Jane,  1775,  it  became  necessary  to  proyide  money  for  its  support.  Specie  suf- 
ficient could  not  be  had,  and  they  resorted  to  the  issue  of  bills  of  credit.  These 
emissions  were  made  from  time  to  time,  as  the  wants  of  the  public  service  demanded, 
and  for  a  while  all  went  on  well.  But  it  was  soon  found  that  it  would  be  difficult, 
if  not  impossible,  for  the  Congress  to  provide  means  for  their  redemption  in  specie, 
as  promised  upon  their  face,  and  they  began  to  depreciate.  The  last  emission  was 
early  in  1780,  and  at  the  close  of  that  year  they  were  almost  worthless.  At  that 
time  the  enormous  sum  of  two  hundred  millions  of  dollars  had  been  issued.  The 
following  table  shows  the  scale  of  depreciation  :^ 

Valub  of  $100  IK  Specib  in  Continental  Monbt. 

TTT.  1T78.  17X9.  1780.  1T81. 

January $105 $325 $742 $2934 $7400 

February 107 350 868 3322 7500 

March 109 370 1000 3736 0000 

April 112 400 1104 4000 


May 115 400 1215 4600. 

June 120 400 1342 6400. 

July 125 425 1477 8900. 

August 150 450 1630 7000. 

September 175 475 1800 710g. 

October 275 500 2030 7200. 

Kovember 300 545 2308 7300. 

December 310 634 2593 7400. 


836  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

Here  the  patriotic  Nelson  set  a  noble  example;  his 
crops  were  left  to  their  fate,  his  ploughs  left  in  the  fur- 
rowS|  while  the  teams  were  harnessed  to  the  cannon  and 
munitions  of  war  moving  to  the  investment  of  Yorktown. 
From  his  personal  virtues,  he  had  the  most  commanding 
influence  in  the  state;  he  exerted  it  in  rallying  her  sons, 
when  a  powerM  foe  invaded  her  soil.  His  weight  of 
character  enabled  him  to  unlock  the  coffers  of  avarice, 
and  give  their  hoards  to  the  aid  of  his  country,  when 
that  country  had  neither  a  dollar  in  her  treasury,  nor 
credit  to  obtain  one. 

'  At  the  ever-memorable  siege  of  Yorktown,*  Governor 
Nelson  rendered  important  services  in  blockading  the 
enemy  previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  combined  army  and 
the  fleets  of  France.  It  was  on  the  venerable  Lafayette's 
last  visit  to  Mount  Vernon,  in  1825,  that  he  related  to 
the  author  of  these  Memoirs  a  touching  anecdote  of 
Governor  Nelson,  which  we  shall  give  in  the  good  Gen- 
eral's own  words:  "I  had  just  finished  a  battery/'  said 
the  nation's  guest>  "moimted  with  heavy  pieces;  but 
before  I  opened  on  the  town,  I  requested  the  attendance 
of  the  governor  of  Virginia,  not  only  as  a  compliment 
due  to  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  state  in  which  I  was 
serving,  but  from  his  accurate  knowledge  of  the  localities 
of  a  place  in  which  he  had  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 
life.  *To  what  particular  spot  would  your  excellency 
direct  that  we  should  point  the  cannon,'  I  asked. 
*  There,'  promptiy  replied  the  noble-minded,  patriotic 
Nelson, '  to  that  house ;  it  is  mine,  and  is,  now  that  the 
secretary's  is  nearly  knocked  to  pieces,  the  best  one  in 
the  town ;  and  there  you  will  be  almost  certain  to  find 

*  See  chapter  Yi. 


THOMAS  NELSON.  337 

Lord  Comwallis  and  the  British  headquarters.  Fire 
upon  it,  my  dear  marquis,  and  never  spare  a  particle  of 
my  property  so  long  as  it  affords  a  comfort  or  a  shelter 
to  the  enemies  of  my  country.'  The  governor  then 
rode  away,  leaving  us  all  charmed  with  an  instance  of 
devotional  patriotism  that  would  have  shed  a  lustre  upon 
the  purest  ages  of  Grecian  or  Boman  virtue."* 

Another  anecdote  we  will  present  to  our  readers  ere 
we  close  this  brief  memoir.  ^  During  the  campaign  of 
1781,  when  the  ruined  state  of  the  finances  had  caused 
everything  like  hard  money  to  have  ahnost  entirely 
disappeared,  Nelson  learned  that  an  old  Scotchman  named 

B ,  had  a  considerable  sum  in  gold,  which,  like  most 

other  moneyed  persons  of  that  period,  he  kept  carefully 
concealed.  The  governor  waited  upon  the  man  of  gold, 
a  rara  avis  in  those  times,  and  begged  and  prayed  for  a 

loan  on  behalf  of  the  state.   R was  inexorable,  saying, 

*I  ken  naething  of  your  goovemment,  but  if  ye  wull  ha' 
the  siller  for  youself,  general,  de'il  take  me  but  every 
bawbee  of  it  is  at  your  service.'  Nelson  accepted  the 
offer,  and  obtained  on  his  own  bond,  and  by  his  own  per- 
sonal influence,  a  loan  for  the  state  of  Virginia,  when 
that  prominent  state  had  neither  a  coin  in  her  treasxury, 
nor  credit  to  obtain  one.     The  governor  received  the 

*  When  I  visited  Yorktown  a  few  years  ago,  Grovernor  Nelson's  honse  was  yet 
standing,  and  was  occupied  hj  his  grandson.  It  was  a  large,  two  storied  brick 
building,  fronting  the  main  street  of  the  town,  a  short  distance  from  the  river  bank. 
It  bore  many  scars  of  the  cannonade  and  bombardment  alluded  to  in  the  text;  and 
in  the  yard,  in  front,  lay  an  unexploded  bombshell,  cast  there  at  the  time  of  the 
siege.  A  few  feet  from  the  door,  was  a  fine  laurel  tree,  from  whose  boughs  a  hand- 
fome  civic  wreath  was  made,  on  the  occasion  of  Lafayette's  visit  there  in  1824.  The 
wreath  was  placed  upon  the  brow  of  the  nation's  guest,  when  he  instantly  removed 
it,  and  laid  it  upon  that  of  Colonel  Nicholas  Fish,  of  the  Revolution,  who  accompa- 
nied  him,  remariLing  that  no  one  was  better  entitled  to  wear  the  mark  of  honor 
than  he. 

22 


S38  RECOLLECnONB  OF  WABHINaTON. 

gold,  and  quickly  did  its  circulation  give  a  new  and 
t^heering  aspect  to  our  destinies  at  that  momentous 
period." 

And  now,  it  would  be  naturally  asked,  who  paid  the 
bond  and  its  accumulated  interest?  Posterity  would 
answer,  a  grateful  and  admiring  country,  surely.  Say, 
rather,  the  impoverished  family  of  the  patriot  This, 
with  other  facts  of  equal  moment,  caused  the  author  of 
these  Memoirs  to  blush  for  his  country,  when,  during  the 
triumph  of  Lafayette,  and  upon  his  last  visit  to  Mount 
Vernon,  the  veteran  introduced  the  subject  of  Nelson, 
spoke  in  the  most  ardent  and  enthusiaBtic  terms  of  his 
gallant  services,  imtiring  patriotism,  and  his  unexampled 
and  devotional  sacrifices  for  the  cause  of  American  In- 
dependence ;  and  presumed  that  a  grateful  and  admiring 
nation  had  long  since  rewarded  the  descendants  of  his 
old  companion-in-arms,  his  beloved  and  bosom  friend. 

It  will  be  matter  of  interest  to  all  future  ages  of  the 
Republic,  to  learn  who  of  the  many  worthies  that  flour- 
ished in  the  age  of  Washington  were  nearest  to  the 
heart  of  the  Pater  Patriae.  All  tradition  will  agree  upon 
Greene  and  Bobert  Morris.  But  if  they  were  in  the 
heart's  core  of  the  chief,  as  assuredly  they  were.  Nelson, 
of  Virginia^  was  at  their  side.  Beloved  in  life,  Washing- 
ton showed  his  esteem  for  Nelson's  memory  by  appoint- 
ing the  son,  named  after  the  sire,  as  one  of  the  secreta- 
ries to  the  first  president  of  the  United  States,  on  the 
commencement  of  the  federal  government  in  1789. 

Such  was  Nelson,  of  Virginia,  who,  in  times  that  tried 
men's  souls,  pledged  for  his  country  in  the  halls  of  her 
Independence,  his  life,  and  perilled  it  in  her  battle-fields; 
pledged  his  fortune,  and  lavished  it  in  his  coimtiys 


THOMAS  NELSON.  330 

cause ;  pledged  his  sacred  honor,  and  redeemed  it  by  a 
life  and  actions  honored  among  the  most  honored.**" 

Such  was  a  patriot,  statesman,  and  soldier  of  the 
American  Revolution — the  admired  of  his  countrymen, 
the  beloved  of  Washington  and  Lafayette — whose  re- 
spected descendants  have  appealed,  in  the  name  of  the 
services  and  sacrifices  of  their  ancestor,  to  the  justice  and 
magnanimity  of  a  free,  powerful,  and  prosperous  empire. 

Having  lived  to  witness  the  consummation  of  that  In- 
dependence, the  declaration  of  which  his  pen  had  signed, 
and  achievements  for  which  his  sword  had  earned,  he 
closed  his  eyes  in  peace,  leaving  a  very  ninnerous  family, 
and  a  fortime  greatly  impaired,  by  the  vast  sacrifices  he 
had  made  for  American  liberty.  And  will  the  American 
reader  believe,  that  the  widow  of  such  a  patriot  and  such 
a  man,  lives  in  Virginia — that  very  Virginia  on  which 
the  name  and  character  of  Nelson  sheds  unfading  lustre 
— that  this  venerable  relict,  now  on  the  verge  of  hiunan 
life,  blind  and  poor,  has  yet  to  learn  whether  an  emanci- 
pated country  can  be  justy  more  than  forty  years  not 
having  suflBiced  to  show  them,  whether  it  can  be  gralefvl'\ 

*  GoTernor  Nelson  was  a  member  of  the  continental  C!ongrett  in  1776,  and 
signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Ho  occnpied  a  seat  in  that  body  daring 
the  first  half  of  the  war ;  and  in  1781 ,  he  was  elected  governor  of  Virginia.  Becanse 
he  exercised  his  prerogative,  as  governor  of  the  state,  in  impressing  men  into  the 
militaiy  service,  on  the  occasion  of  the  siege  of  Torktown,  many  inflnential  persons 
were  offended,  and  many  mortal  enemies  were  created.  But  he  ontUved  all  the 
altacks  of  malice,  and  died  on  the  fburth  of  January,  1789,  in  the  fiftieth  year  of  his 
age.  His  remains,  with  many  others  of  his  family,  repose  in  the  old  cfanrchyard  at 
Yorktown. 

t  This  sketch  was  first  published  in  the  National  InitUigencer,  on  the  third  of 
liaich,  1836. 


340  BBOOLLBOnONB  OF  WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ALEXANDER  HAMILTON. 

BnTHPLAm  or  Haiciltok— Hn  bablt  Eduoatiov— Oob  to  Nxw  Tone  ahb  xnms 
KiKa'k  CoLLMB— Bmoios  ▲  PounoAL  WRxm  wmtM  m  Collsob— PsxDionoir  ooh- 
OBMfxiro  TM  Cotton  Plart— StriMATa  or  his  GnABAorsB  bt  tub  Boms  or  Libbbtt— 
Ah  Abtillbbt  Ck>xrAirT  roBXBD— Hd  bbadt  SAOBinoB— Hb  Yibwb  pbbtxoub  to  tub 
Battu  ox  Lova  Isxjlxd— Akontxoub  Lkrbb— Hamiltoit  at  Bbuxbwxox  —  ImBBmBr 
-wm  WAsmvoTOX— Hamxltob  and  Lattbbns  —  Wabhznotok  dt  hib  Tbxt— Hamiltoh 

AT  MoHKOVTH-— BUTTVBB   BBTWZBX  WASniNOTOX    AX2>    HaMXLTOX  —  HaXILTOX  AT  TOBB- 

Towx— Hb  Stvdibs  Law— Bbooxbs  a  Lboislatob— Mbubbb  or  tbb  Fxdbbal  Gox« 
TBBTXON  or  1787— Hd  Zbal  —  Hamxltox  appoimtbd  Sbobbtabt  or  thb  Tbbasitbt— 
MoBBB*!  Orarxox  or  bix— OALLAnii'ii  Evlogivx  —  Bbtibbmbxt  to  Pbttatb  Lxrs-^ 
AxBOBOTB  — Hamiltox*!  Pbxdxctiox. 

In  the  illustrious  Alexander  Hamilton  were  united  the 
patriot^  the  soldier^  the  statesman^  the  jurist^  the  orator, 
and  philosopher,  and  he  was  great  in  them  all.  Bom  in 
the  island  of  Nevis,  the  first  rudiments  of  his  education 
were  obtained  in  Santa  Cruz,  from  which,  at  a  very  early 
age,  he  came  to  America,  and  completed  his  studies  at 
Columbia  college,  in  New  York  *  In  that  city  the 
Revolution  found  the  young  West  Indian  engaged  in  his 

*  At  that  time,  and  up  to  the  dose  of  the  Berolatton,  it  was  called  King's  col- 
lege, the  title  hj  which  it  was  incorporated  by  George  the  Second.  Young  Hamil- 
ton came  to  New  York  in  the  year  1772,  and  soon  afterward  prepared  for  college. 
This  preparation  occupied  a  year,  and  he  was  about  to  enter  the  college  at  Prince- 
ton,  when  some  of  its  rules  not  meeting  his  riews,  he  entered  King's  college, 
in  tlie  city  of  New  York.  The  Bererend  Myles  Cooper,  D.  D.,  was  the  president, 
having  succeeded  Doctor  Johnson  in  1763.  At  the  very  beginning,  young  Hamil- 
ton was  marked  as  an  extraordinary  youth.  He  was  between  sixteen  and  serenteen 
years  of  age  when  he  entered  that  institution. 


ALEXANDER  HAMaTON.  341 

collegiate  studies^  and  he  left  the  halls  of  learning  for 
the  camp. 

Among  th^  efforts  then  making  in  behalf  of  the  royal 
cause  in  New  York,  were  a  series  of  able  essays,  published 
with  a  view  to  alarm  the  patriots  as  to  a  rupture  with 
the  mother-country,  urging  that,  in  such  an  event,  all 
supplies  of  clothing  would  be  withheld,  and  thus  the  most 
serious  privations  be  endured  by  the  colonists.*  Young 
Hamilton  wrote  a  powerful  reply  to  these  essays,  in 
which  he  proved  that  resources  abounded  in  the  country ; 
and  then,  for  the  first  time  in  the  world,  it  was  left  for 
this  precocious  genius  to  predict  thai  the  cottorirplant  could 
and  would  he  grown  in  the  southern  cohmes^  and  would  yield  an 
abundance  of  the  raw  material  for  the  mpply  of  oar  wants.f 

*  These  essays  were  written  chiefly  by  clei^gjmen  of  the  Church  of  England. 
Among  them  were  Doctor  Cooper  of  the  college,  Samael  Seabary  (afterward  a  New 
England  bishop),  Doctor  Charles  Inglis,  Doctor  Samael  Auchmaty,  and  Doctor 
Chandler.  John  Holt,  who  published  a  warm  whig  newspaper,  had  drawn  npon 
himself  the  iiiTectives  of  all  the  ministerial  writers ;  and  these,  at  first,  Hamilton 
barlesqned  in  doggerel  rhyme,  with  great  wit  and  hamor.  Bat  afterward,  when  the 
aspect  of  affairs  became  more  serioas,  he  replied  to  them  with  irresistible  logic. 
Among  the  most  able  of  these  was  his  "Full  Vindication  of  the  Measures  of  Con- 
gress from  the  Cidumnies  of  their  Enemies,"  &c.,  written  in  December,  1774,  in 
reply  to  Seabury,  who  wrote  over  the  signature  of  "  A  Westchester  Farmer,"  he 
being  a  clergyman  in  that  county  at  the  time. 

t  See  Hamilton's  replies  to  the  "  Westchester  Farmer"  (Mr.  Seabury),  Hamilton's 
works,  vol.  ii.,  first  and  second  articles.  In  the  second,  **  The  Farmer  Refuted," 
he  Bays,  "with  respect  to  cotton,  you  do  not  pretend  to  deny  that  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity of  that  might  be  produced.  Several  of  the  southern  colonies  are  so  favorable  to 
it,  that  with  due  cultivation,  in  a  couple  of  years,  they  would  afford  enough  to  clothe 
the  whole  continent"  It  must  be  remembered  that  at  the  time  this  was  written, 
the  growth  of  cotton  in  the  colonies  was  a  mere  experiment,  and  only  men  of  far- 
seeing  discernment,  like  this  extraordinary  young  man,  then  dreamed  of  its  becom- 
ing one  of  our  great  sUples.  It  was  not  until  twenty  years  afterward,  when  Whit- 
ney's cotton-gin  produced  a  new  epoch  in  our  commercial  history,  that  the  annual 
product  of  cotton  in  all  North  America  became  a  considerable  item  in  oar  statistics 
of  production.  Up  to  that  time,  it  was  only  cultivated  for  family  use  in  the  South. 
It  is  true  that  seven  bags  of  cotton  were  sent  to  Europe  firom  Charleston,  as  early 


342  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

The  troubles  mereasing,  Mr.  Hamilton  spoke  of  revisit- 
ing the  West  Indies^  with  a  view  to  recruit  his  finances. 
This  the  patriots  of  New  York  would  no^  hear  of  for  a 
moment ;  they  had  witnessed  the  powers  of  his  pen,  and 
wished  him  to  try  the  temper  of  his  sword,  "  Well,  my 
fiiends,"  said  the  gallant  youth,  "  if  you  are  determined 
that  I  shall  remain  among  you,  and  take  part  in  your 
just  and  holy  cause,  you  must  raise  for  me  a  full  com- 
pany of  artillery."  This  was  done,  and  Captain  Hamil- 
ton lost  no  time  in  enlisting  the  services  of  several  vet- 
eran artillerists,  and,  by  constant  drilling,  soon  brought 
his  company  into  a  very  high  state  of  order  and  dis- 
cipline* 

Hamilton  was  in  New  York,  diligently  engaged  in  his 
military  duties  when  the  Am^  Captain  Vandeput,  fired 
upon  the  city.f    Retreat  becoming  necessary,  Hamilton 

at  1747,  and  two  thousand  poands  more  in  1770,  foar  yean  before  Ebunilton  wrote. 
It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  when,  ten  years  after  he  wrote  (1784),  seventy-one  bags 
were  shipped,  they  were  seized  by  the  British  goTemment,  on  the  gronnd  that 
America  conld  not  produce  an  amount  so  great 

*  Hamilton  had  already  joined  a  volunteer  corps,  commanded  by  Captain  Flem- 
ing, formerly  an  adjutant  in  the  British  service,  and  an  exact  disciplinarian.  Under 
his  command  he  acquired  considerable  knowledge  of  the  rudiments  of  a  military 
education.  They  assumed  the  name  of  "  Hearts  of  Oak,"  and  they  exercised  OYdiy 
morning,  before  the  hour  for  study  or  recitation  at  the  college,  in  the  churchyard  of 
St.  Geoi^'s  chapel,  in  Beekman  street.  Their  uniforms  were  green,  and  on  their 
leathern  caps  was  the  inscription  "Freedom  or  Death."  In  March,  1776,  HamU- 
ton  became  captain  of  artillery  in  a  New  York  regiment  In  the  summer  following. 
General  Greene's  attention  was  one  day  arrested,  as  he  was  crossing  '*  The  Fields" 
(now  City  Hall  park),  by  the  able  movemenu  of  a  company  of  artillery,  com- 
manded by  a  mere  youth.  It  was  Hamilton.  Greene  conversed  with  him  a  few 
minutes,  and  discovered  evidences  of  extraordinary  ability.  He  invited  him  to 
his  quarters,  cultivated  his  acquainUnce,  and  introduced  him  afterward  to  Wash- 
ington. 

t  That  was  in  August,  1775.  The  A$ia  was  a  BriUsh  ship-of-war  that  lay  in  the 
harbor  of  New  York  to  overawe  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  as  the  whigs  were  called.  At 
that  time,  the  republican  movements  in  New  York  were  guided  by  a  committee  of 


ALBXANDER  HAMILTON.  843 

here  displayed  that  noble  disinterestedness  and  disregard 
of  self  that  adorned  all  the  subsequent  actions^  whether 
pubhc  or  private,  of  his  illustrious  life.  A  cart,  drawn 
by  a  single  horse,  contained  the  baggage  of  this  young 
officer.  He  ordered  his  baggage  to  be  abandoned,  and 
the  horse  that  drew  it  to  be  harnessed  to  the  cannon."^ 

Hamilton's  military  talents  were  apparent  in  very 
early  life.  Previous  to  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  he 
crossed  over  to  Brookljni,  and  thence,  by  examining  the 
positions  of  the  American  forces  with  a  military  eye,  he 
became  convinced  that  with  such  materials  as  composed 
the  American  army,  a  conflict  with  troops  which  con- 
sisted of  aU  soldiers  would  be  hopeless  of  success.  Filled 
with  these  ideas,  Hamilton  addressed  an  anonymous  letter 
to  the  commander-in-chiei^  detailing  many  and  forcible 
arguments  against  risking  an  action,  and  warmly  recom- 
mending a  retreat  to  the  strong  grounds  of  the  main- 
One  Handred.  Governor  Tiyon's  coarse  was  so  decidedly  hostile  to  the  Sons  of 
libertj,  and  war  now  appeared  so  ineyitable,  that  the  committee  of  One  Handred 
determined  to  remoTO  the  cannon  from  the  grand  battery  to  a  place  of  safety,  for 
their  own  nse.  Captain  John  Lamb  was  directed  to  perform  the  act,  assisted  by  his 
own  artillery  company,  and  an  independent  corps  ander  Colonel  Lasher ;  and,  with  a 
body  of  citizens  led  by  Isaac  Sears  (better  known  as  King  Sears),  he  proceeded  to  the 
woik  on  the  evening  of  the  twenty-third  of  Aagast.  Captain  Vandepat  of  the  Am'a 
had  been  informed  of  the  intended  movement,  and  sent  a  bai^  filled  with  armed  men 
to  watch  the  patriots.  These  were  fired  apon,  when  Vandepat  opened  his  ports,  and 
hurled  three  roand  shot  into  the  city,  spreading  great  alarm  among  the  inhabitants. 
The  chorch  bells  were  then  rang,  and  soon  a  broadside  came  from  the  Asia,  Terror 
filled  the  people,  bat  the  sturdy  whigs  removed  every  gun,  in  face  of  the  cannonade. 
Hamilton  was  among  the  actors,  at  the  head  of  fifteen  of  the  college  students.  They 
carried  two  of  the  six-pound  cannon  to  the  college  green  and  buried  them,  in  spite 
of  the  menaces  of  Dr.  Cooper.  These  stood  at  the  gateway  of  the  college  until  it 
wii  demolished  in  1856. 

*  In  this  the  author  evidently  alludes  to  the  retreat  from  the  lines  at  Brooklyn, 
a  year  later,  after  the  disastrous  battle  there,  when  the  whole  American  army  with- 
drew across  the  East  river,  to  New  Toris,  under  cover  of  the  night  and  a  dense  fog 
in  the  morning. 


344  RECOLLECnONS  OF  WA8HIHGT0N. 

land.  The  letter  created  no  little  surprise  in  the  mind 
of  the  general,  but  it  was  mixed  with  respect  for  the 
talent  displayed  by  the  writer.  The  disastrous  battle  of 
Long  Island  is  matter  of  history.* 

Hamilton's  artillery  joined  the  American  army,  and 
took  part  in  the  memorable  retreat  through  the  Jerseys."|" 
It  was  at  the  passage  of  the  Raritan,  near  Brunswick, 
that  Hamilton  first  attracted  the  notice  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chie^  who,  while  posted  on  the  river  bank,  and 
contemplating  with  anxiety  the  passage  of  the  troops, 
was  charmed  by  the  brilliant  courage  and  admirable  skill 
displayed  by  a  young  afficer  of  artillery,  who  directed  a 
battery  against  the  enemy's  advanced  columns  that 
pressed  upon  the  Americans  in  their  retreat  by  the  ford.  J 
The  general  ordered  Lieutenant-Colonel  Fitzgerald,  his 
aid-de-camp,  to  ascertain  who  this  young  officer  was,  and 
bid  him  repair  to  headquarters  at  the  first  halt  of  the 
army. 

At  the  interview  that  ensued,  Washington   quickly 

*  This  occarredon  the  twenty-seventh  of- August,  1776.  The  British  and  Hes- 
sian troops  landed  from  Staten  Island,  near  the  present  Fort  Hamilton,  on  Long 
Island,  and  marching  up,  attacked  the  Americans,  a  large  portion  of  whom  were 
quite  strongly  intrenched  near  Brooklyn.  About  five  hundred  Americans  were 
killed  or  wounded  in  the  engagement,  and  eleven  hundred  were  made  prisoners. 

t  A  combined  force  of  British  and  Hessians  attacked  Fort  Washington  toward 
the  upper  end  of  York  island,  and  captured  it  on  the  sixteenth  of  November.  More 
than  two  thousand  Americans  were  made  prisoners.  Washington,  with  a  large 
portion  of  the  American  army,  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Lee,  on  the  Jersey  shore, . 
nearly  opposite.  Two  days  afterward,  Lord  Comwallis,  with  six  thousand  troops, 
crossed  the  Hudson  to  attack  Washington.  Fort  Lee  was  abandoned,  and  for  three 
weeks  the  Americans  fled  before  the  British  across  New  Jersey,  toward  the  Dela- 
ware. 

X  Washington  hoped  to  make  a  successful  stand  at  Brunswick,  but  his  army  was 
rapidly  dissolving,  and  was  not  strong  enough  to  risk  an  engagement.  While  the 
broken  army  was  retreating  from  the  village,  Hamilton,  with  his  field-pieces  planted 
on  the  highest  ground  there,  efibctnally  checked  the  advance  of  the  enemy,  and  gave 
Washington  time  to  get  the  start  by  several  hours. 


AUBXAin)£B  HAMILTON.  345 

discovered  in  the  young  patriot  and  warrior  those  emi- 
nent qualities  of  the  head  and  heart  that  shed  such  a 
renown  upon  the  actions  of  his  after  life.  From  that 
interview  Washington  ^  marked  him  for  his  own." 

The  American  conunander-in-chief  was  peculiarly  happy 
in  the  selection  of  the  oflScers  of  his  military  family,  of 
his  guard,  &c.,  save  in  a  soUtary  instance,  and  in  that 
instance  the  individual  served  but  for  a  very  short  time.* 
The  members  of  the  military  family  and  of  the  Life^ 
Guard  were  gentlemen  of  the  first  order  in  intellect, 
patriotism,  and  all  right  soldierly  qualities — they  were 
attached  to  the  chief  and  to  each  other.  Hamilton  and 
Laurens  were  kindred  spirits,  brothers  alike  in  arms,  in 
affection,  and  in  accomplishments,  and  might  be  styled 
itkepreux  chevdKers  of  the  American  army. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Hamilton  was  at  the  side  of  the 
chief  during  the  most  eventful  periods  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war.  Li  the  memorable  campaigns  of  1777  and 
1778,  the  habit  at  the  headquarters  waa  for  the  general 
to  dismiss  his  officers  at  a  very  late  hour  of  the  night  to 
snatch  a  little  repose,  while  he,  the  man  of  mighty  labors, 
drawing  his  cloak  around  him,  and  trimming  his  lamp, 
would  throw  himself  upon  a  hard  couch,  not  to  sleep,  but 
to  think.  Close  to  his  master  (wrapped  in  a  blanket^ 
but  "all  accoutred"  for  instant  service)  snored  the  stout 
yet  active  form  of  BUly,  the  celebrated  body-servant 
during  the  whole  of  the  Revolutionary  war.f 

At  this  late  lone  hour  silence  reigned  in  the  head- 
quarters, broken  only  by  the  measured  pacing  of  the 

*  Ck>loael  Aaron  Burr.    He  was  in  Wanhington's  military  fiunilj  at  the  close  of 
Jane,  1776,  and  entered  that  of  General  Patnam  earlj  in  Jnly. 
t  See  page  157. 


346  RECOLLECTIOMa  OF  WABHmOTON. 

sentinels,  and  the  oft-repeated  cry  of  ^  all's  well ;"  when 
suddenly  the  sound  of  a  horse-tramp,  at  speed,  is  borne 
upon  the  night  wind,  then  the  challenging  of  the  guard, 
and  the  passing  the  word  of  an  express  from  the  lines  to 
the  commander-in-chief  The  despatches  b^ing  opened 
and  read,  there  would  be  heard  in  the  calm  deep  tones 
of  that  voice,  so  well  remembered  by  the  good  and  the 
brave  in  the  old  days  of  our  country's  trial,  the  command 
of  the  chief  to  his  now  watchful  attendant^  ^  Call  Cokmel 
Hamilton  r 

The  remarkable  conduct  of  the  aid-de-camp  during  the 
exciting  interview  of  Washington  and  Major-General 
Lee,  on  the  field  of  Monmouth,  as  has  been  related  in 
another  part  of  this  work,  caused  no  little  sensation  in 
the  army  at  that  time.  It  was  indeed  a  generous  burst 
of  enthusiasm,  emanating  from  a  noble  and  gallant  spirit, 
that,  pure  in  its  own  devotion  to  the  cause  of  liberty, 
viewed  with  indignation  and  abhorrence  even  the  sus- 
picion of  treachery  in  another.  It  is  somewhat  singular 
that  there  were  several  distinguished  officers  of  the 
American  army,  who,  judging  from  events  at  the  close  of 
the  campaign  of  1776,  anticipated  some  defection  on  the 
part  of  Lee,  on  his  return  from  captivity,  and  rejoining 
his  former  colors ;  yet  it  was  left  for  a  member  of  a 
difierent  cloth  from  the  military  to  give  the  first  alarm 
to  the  commander-in-chief  on  this  momentous  subject* 

Prom  a  difficulty  that  occurred  in  1780,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Hamilton  retired  fit>m  the  headquarters  and 
assumed  his  rank  in  the  line,  in  the  command  of  a  bat- 
talion of  light^infantry,  then  the  crack  corps  of  the  army.-)- 

*  See  chapter  ▼.    Also  note  on  page  298. 
t  See  note  on  page  241. 


ALEXANDEB  HAMaiON.  347 

With  this  command  he  marched  to  the  South  in  1781. 
At  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  it  was  determined  to  storm 
the  two  advanced  redoubts  of  the  enemy^  and  the  selec- 
tion of  officers  and  men  for  this  daring  achievement  was 
intrusted  to  Major-General  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette. 
The  marquis  lost  no  time  in  choosing  as  the  officer  who 
was  to  lead  the  assault  LieutenantrColonel  Gimat,  a  galr 
lant  Frenchman^  who  had  been  attached  to  the  marquis's 
military  family.*  Hamilton,  belonging  to  the  division 
of  light-infantry  commanded  by  Lafayette,  was  about  to 
prefer  his  claim,  when  his  warmest  friends  and  admirers 
dissuaded  him,  owing,  as  they  said,  to  the  vast  influences 
in  favor  of  the  Frenchman,  from  the  presence  of  a. 
splendid  French  fleet  and  army,  and  the  universal  desire 
of  doing  every  possible  honor  to  our  generous  and  gal- 
lant allies.  Hamilton  observed,  ^  I  am  aware  that  I  have 
mighty  influences  to  contend  with,  but  I  feel  assured  that 
Washington  is  inflexibly  just  I  will  not  urge  my  claim 
on  the  plea  of  my  long  and  faithful  services,  co-eval  with 
nearly  the  whole  war ;  I  will  only  plead  my  rank.''  He 
accordingly  repaired  to  headquarters.  The  general  re- 
ceived his  former  and  favorite  aid-de-camp  with  great 
cordiality  and  kindness,  listened  patiently  to  his  repre- 
sentations, and  finally  granted  his  claims;  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Hamilton,  in  the  presence  of  three  armies,  led  the 
assault  on  the  redoubt  on  the  night  of  the  memorable 
fourteenth  of  October,  with  a  brilliancy  of  courage  and 
success  that  could  not  be  surpassed.f 

As  the  Americans  mounted  the  works,  the  cry  of  the 

*  Colonel  Gimat  was  Lafayette's  chief  aid-de-camp.    He  was  with  the  marqais 
at  the  Brandywine,  and  helped  to  bear  his  wounded  general  from  the  field, 
t  See  page  240. 


348  BECOIXBCnONS  of  WASHINGTON. 

soldiers  was,  ^^ Remember  New  London!"  alluding  to  the 
cruel  massacre  of  the  American  troops  at  Fort  Griswold 
the  year  before.  When  the  redoubt  was  carried,  the 
vanquished  Britons  fell  on  their  knees,  momently  ex* 
pecting  the  exterminating  bayonet ;  but  not  a  man  was 
injured,  when  no  longer  resisting.  For  Hamilton,  who 
commanded,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Laurens,  who  par- 
ticipated as  a  volunteer  on  this  brilliant  occasion,  courage 
and  mercy  have  entwined  a  wreath  of  laurel  that  will 
never  fade.* 

Shortly  after  the  surrender  of  Yorktown,  Colonel  Ham- 
ilton retired  from  the  army,  preserving  his  rank,  but 
declining  aU  pay  or  emolument^  and  commenced  the  study 
of  the  law.  He  was  chosen  to  a  seat  in  the  continental 
Congress  on  the  twenty-second  of  July,  1782,  where  he 
remained  about  a  year.  While  a  member  of  that  body, 
he  wrote  a  series  of  essays  of  great  ability,  showing  the 
defects  of  the  old  system  of  government,  and  recom- 
mending a  convention  with  a  view  to  an  entirely  new 
constitution,  government,  and  laws.f    He  was  elected  a 

*  ThU  is  mentioned  in  the  text  on  page  241,  tnd  commented  upon  in  a  note  on 
page  242,  which  see. 

t  This  proposition  for  a  general  convention  was  submitted  to  the  legislature  of 
New  York,  before  his  election  to  the  continental  Congress.  He  had  written  a  series 
of  essays  on  pnblic  matters  for  London's  New  York  Packet,  printed  at  Fishkill,  in 
Dachess  countj,  under  the  general  title  of  TU  OontinerUalisi,  in  which  the  defects 
of  the  ArtideB  of  Confederation  were  ably  discussed ;  and  finally  he  brought  the  sub- 
ject before  the  state  legislature,  then  in  session  at  Poughkeepsie.  That  body,  on 
Sunday,the  twenty-first  of  July,  1 782,  passed  a  series  of  resolutions,  in  the  last  of  which 
it  was  remarked,  that  "  it  is  essential  to  the  common  welfare,  that  there  should  be 
AS  soon  as  possible,  a  conference  of  the  whole  on  the  subject,  and  that  it  would  be 
adyisable  for  this  purpose  to  propose  to  Congress  to  recommend,  and  to  each  state 
to  adopt,  the  measure  of  assembling  a  oexbral  conyention  of  the  states, 
specially  authorized  to  revive  and  amend  tlie  confedbra.tion,  reserving  the  right 
to  the  respective  legislatures  to  ratify  their  determination."  On  the  following  day 
the  legislature  chose  James  Duane,  William  Floyd,  John  Morin  Scott,  Ezra  L'Hom- 
medieu^  and  Alexander  Hamilton,  delegates  to  the  continental  Congress. 


ALEXANDER  HAMILTON.  349 

member  of  the  convention  of  1787,  and  was  one  of  the 
brightest  stars  in  that  constellation  of  patriots  and  states* 
men  that  formed  the  present  happy  constitution  of  the 
United  States  * 

Hamilton's  labors  by  no  means  ended  with  the  conven- 
tion of  1787.  It  required  all  his  zeal  and  eloquence  to 
stem  the  torrent  of  opposition  from  Governor  Clinton 
and  others,  up  to  the  time  of  the  final  adoption  of  the 
constitution  by  the  state  of  New  York.f 

In  1789,  when  the  first  president  was  on  his  way  to 
the  seat  of  the  new  government,  he  stopped  in  Phila- 
delphia at  the  house  of  Bobert  Morris,  and  while  consult- 
ing with  that  eminent  patriot  and  benefactor  of  America, 
as  to  the  members  of  the  first  cabinet,  Washington  ob- 
served, "The  treasury,  Morris,  will  of  cotubc  be  your 
berth.  After  your  invaluable  services  as  financier  of  the 
Kevolution,  no  one  can  pretend  to  contest  the  office  of 
secretary  of  the  treasm'y  with  you."  Robert  Morris 
respectfully  but  firmly  declined  thd  appointment,  on  the 
ground  of  his  private  affairs,  and  then  said,  ^  But,  my 
dear  general,  you  will  be  no  loser  by  my  declining  the 

*  The  recommendation  of  the  legislatnre  of  New  York,  in  1782,  on  Hamilton's 
saggestion,  was  finally  carried  out  in  1787.  In  May  of  that  year,  delegates  from  all 
the  states,  except  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  assembled  at  Philadelphia. 
Washington  was  a  delegate  from  Virginia ;  and  on  motion  of  Robert  Morris,  he  was 
chosen  president  of  the  convention.  On  the  twelfth  of  September  following,  the 
present  CorutUtUion  of  the  United  Stales  (except  a  few  amendments  since)  waa 
adopted. 

tin  the  year  1788,  when  the  Federal  Constitation  was  before  the  people  of  the 
sereral  states  for  consideration!  it  met  with  much  opposition.  This  opposition, 
which  at  one  time  promised  to  prerent  its  ratification  by  a  majority  of  the  states, 
was  ably  met  by  a  series  of  articles  from  the  pens  of  Hamilton,  Madison,  and  Jay, 
since  collected  nnder  the  general  title  of  The  Federalist.  Of  the  eighty-fire  nnmben 
which  compose  The  Federalist,  Hamilton  wrote  fifty-one,  Madison  twenty-nine,  and 
Jay  five. 


350  R£COLLECnON8  OF  WASHmOTON. 

secretaryship  of  the  treajsury,  for  I  can  recommend  to 
you  a  far  cleverer  fellow  than  I  am  for  your  minister  of 
finance,  in  the  person  of  your  former  aid-de<^amp,  Colonel 
Hamilton."  The  president  was  amazed,  and  continued, 
"  I  always  knew  Colonel  Hamilton  to  be  a  man  of  supe- 
rior talents,  but  never  supposed  that  he  had  any  knowl- 
edge of  finance."  To  which  Morris  replied,  "  He  knows 
everything,  sir ;  to  a  mind  like  his  nothing  comes  amiss." 
Robert  Morris,  indeed,  had  had  ample  proofs  of  Hamil- 
ton's talents  in  financial  matters,  the  financier  having  re- 
ceived from  the  soldier  many  and  important  suggestions, 
plans,  and  estimates  touching  the  organization  and  es* 
tablishment  of  the  bank  of  North  America,  in  1780.* 

Thus  did  Alexander  Hamilton,  from  amid  the  stirring 
duties  of  a  camp,  devote  the  vast  and  varied  powers  of 
his  mind  to  the  organization  of  a  system  of  finance,  as 
connected  with  banking  operations,  that  proved  of  inesti- 
mable service  to  the  cause  of  the  Revolution. 

Washington  hesitated  not  a  moment  in  making  the 
appointment  of  secretary  of  the  treasury  agreeably  to 
the  recommendation  of  Morris ;  for  assuredly  there  was 

*  In  MajTi  1781,  Mr.  Morris  Babmitted  to  Confrress  m  plan  for  a  national  bank, 
wiih  a  capital  of  four  hundred  thonsand  dollars.  Congress  approved  of  the  phu, 
offered  to  incorporate  the  sabscribers  by  the  name  of  the  President  and  Dirtetan  of 
iho  Bank  of  North  America,  and  decreed  that  the  bills  should  be  receirable  in  paj- 
ment  of  all  taxes,  duties,  and  debts  due  the  United  States.  This  bank,  the  firet  in 
the  United  States,  went  into  snccessfnl  operation  in  December,  1781.  It  greatly 
assisted  in  the  restoration  of  the  credit  of  the  government,  and  was  of  efficient  service 
in  the  financial  affairs  of  the  country  during  the  remainder  of  the  war.  To  secure 
the  public  confidence  for  the  bank,  there  was  a  subscription  among  the  citizens  in 
the  form  of  bonds  obliging  them  to  pay,  if  it  should  become  necessary,  in  gold  and 
silver,  the  amounts  annexed  to  their  names,  to  fulfil  the  engagements  of  the  bank 
As  we  have  elsewhere  observed,  Mr.  Morris  headed  the  list  with  fifty  thoonnd  dol- 
iars.  There  were  ninety-six  subscribers  who  gave  their  bonds.  Their  naiMt  may 
be  seen  in  the  Pennsylvania  Packet,  June,  1781. 


ALEXANDER  HAMILTON.  351 

none,  no,  not  one  of  the  many  worthies  of  the  Revolution 
who  stood  higher  in  the  esteem,  or  approached  nearer  to 
the  heart  of  the  chief  than  Robert  Morris,  the  noble  and 
generous  benefactor  of  America  in  the  darkest  hours  of 
her  destiny. 

On  the  very  day  of  the  interesting  event  we  have  just 
related,  Mr.  Dallas  met  Hamilton  in  the  street  and  ad- 
dressed him  with,  ^  Well,  colonel,  can  you  tell  me  who 
will  be  the  members  of  the  cabinet  ?' — ^  Really,  my  dear 
sir,  replied  the  colonel,  "  I  can  not  tell  you  who  will,  but 
I  can  very  readily  tell  you  of  one  who  will  not  be  of  the 
number,  and  that  one  is  your  humble  servant''  He  had 
not,  at  that  moment,  the  remotest  idea  that  Washington 
had  again  in  peace,  as  in  war,  ^  marked  him  for  his  own." 

The  very  best  eulogium  that  can  be  pronounced  upon 
the  fiscal  department  of  the  United  States,  as  organized 
by  Alexander  Hamilton,  is  in  the  remarks  of  the  Hon. 
Albert  Gallatin,  a  political  rival,  and  the  most  distin- 
guished financier  of  the  successors  of  the  first  secretary 
of  the  treasury.  Mr.  Gallatin  has  magnanimously  de- 
clared that  all  secretaries  of  the  treasury  of  the  United 
States,  since  the  first,  enjoyed  a  sineciure,  the  genius  and 
labors  of  Hamilton  having  created  and  arranged  every- 
thing that  was  requisite  and  necessary  for  the  successful 
operation  of  the  department* 

In  January,  1795,  Hamilton  resigned  his  seat  in  the 

*  Mr.  Gftllatin  was  m  native  of  Genera,  Switzerland,  and  came  to  America  in 
1780,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  He  was  a  relative  of  M.  Necker,  the  celebrated^ 
French  minister  of  finance.  He  entered  the  continental  army,  and  at  the  close,  set- 
tled in  Pennsjlrania.  He  was  chosen  a  member  of  Congress  in  1793,  and  in  1801 
Mr.  Jefferson  called  him  to  his  cabinet  as  secretary  of  the  treasary.  Ho  remained 
in  that  office  until  1813,  when  he  became  a  special  envoy  to  negotiate  for  peace  with 
Oreat  Britain.  He  represented  oar  government  in  France  from  1816  until  1823. 
He  died  in  1849  at  tlia  age  of  more  Chan  eighty-eight  yean. 


352  B£C0LLBGn0N8  OF  WAfiHINGTON. 

cabinet  and  retired  to  private  life.  It  was  our  good  for- 
tune to  be  almost  domesticated  in  the  family  of  this  great 
man^  and  to  see  and  know  much  of  him  in  the  olden 
tune.  Among  the  many  and  imposing  recollections  of 
the  great  age  of  the  Republic  that  are  graven  upon  our 
memory,  and,  mellowed  by  time,  cheer  by  their  venera- 
ble and  benign  influences  our  evening  of  life,  we  call  up 
with  peculiar  pleasure  a  reminiscence  of  the  days  of  the 
first  presidency  embracing  the  resignation  of  Hamilton. 
It  was  at  the  presidential  mansion  that  the  ex-sec- 
retary of  the  treasury  came  into  the  room  where  Mr, 
Lear,*  Major  Jackson,f  and  the  other  gentlemen  of  the 
president's  family  were  sitting.  With  the  usual  smile 
upon  his  countenance  he  observed :  ^  Congratulate  me, 
my  good  friends,  for  I  am  no  longer  a  public  man ;  the 
president  has  at  length  consented  to  accept  my  resigna- 
tion, and  I  am  once  more  a  private  citizen."  The  gentle- 
men replied  that  they  could  perceive  no  cause  for  rejoicing 
in  an  event  that  would  deprive  the  government  and  the 
country  of  the  late  secretaries  valuable  services.  Ham- 
ilton continued :  ^  I  am  not  worth  exceed^  Jive  hundred  dol- 
lars in  the  world;  my  slender  fortune  and  the  best  years  of  my 
mfe  Imve  hem  devoted  to  the  service  of  my  adopted  country  ;  a 
rising  family  hath  its  claims^  Glancing  his  eye  upon  a 
small  book  that  lay  on  the  table,  he  took  it  up  and  ob- 
served: "Ah,  this  is  the  constitution.  Now,  mark  my 
words :  So  hng  as  we  are  a  young  and  virtuous  people,  this  »»- 
ptrwnent  wiU  bind  us  together  in  mutual interestSymutual welfare, 
and  mutual  happiness  ;  hut  when  we  hecome  old  and  corrupt  it 
win  bind  us  no  longer'* 

♦  Tobias  Lear,  Washington's  prirate  socreteiy. 

t  Major  William  Jackson,  one  of  the  president's  mililarf  atdi. 


ALEXANDER  HAMILTON.  853 

Such  were  the  prophetic  words  of  Alexander  Hamilton, 
uttered  half  a  century  ago,  and  in  the  very  dawn  of  our 
existence  as  a  nation.  Let  the  Americans  write  them  in 
their  books  and  treasure  them  in  their  hearts.  Another 
half  century,  and  they  may  be  regarded  as  truths.* 

What  a  spectacle  does  this  touching  reminiscence  pre- 
sent to  the  Americans  and  their  posterity  I  A  great  man 
of  the  Revolution,  the  native  of  a  foreign  isle,  who  had 
employed  his  pen  and  drawn  his  sword  in  the  cause  of 
liberty  before  a  beard  had  grown  upon  his  chin;  re- 
nowned alike  in  senates  and  in  the  field,  in  the  halls  of 
legislation  and  the  *^  ranks  of  death,"  proudly  acknow- 
ledging his  honorable  poverty,  the  result  of  his  many  and 
glorious  services,  and  resigning  one  of  the  highest  and 
most  dignified  offices  in  the  government,  to  retire  aa  a  pri- 
vate citizen  to  labor  for  the  support  of  a  rising  family. 

Of  a  truth,  upon  the  Boman  model,  aye,  and  that  of  the 
purest  and  palmiest  days  of  the  mistress  of  the  ancient 
world,  were  formed  the  patriots,  statesmen,  and  warriors 
of  the  American  Revolution.  Worthy,  indeed,  are  they 
to  be  ranked  with  the  purest  and  noblest  models  of  an- 
cient virtue  and  heroism,  whom  generations  yet  unborn 
will  hail  83  the  fathers  of  liberty  and  founders  of  an  em- 
pire. 

With  these  reminiscences,  endeared  to  us  by  many 
venerable  associations  of  our  other  days,  and  which  we 
offer  as  an  humble  tribute  to  the  fame  and  memory  of 
him  who  was  a  master-spirit  among  the  great  and  re- 
nowned that  adorned  the  age  of  Washington,  we  close 
our  brief  memoir. 

•  This  was  first  pablished  in  the  NoUional  IrUeUigenoer,  on  the  twenty  fourth  of 
I'ebruary,  1845. 

23 


354  RECOIXECnONS  of  WASmNOIOR. 


CHAPTER  XVL 

HENB7  LEEL 

'WABHnroTON^  Ba.oa.citt  IK  Hie  SiLSOTioM  OF  OrFiosBS— HisFATomms  — BisTH  or  Lbb— 
AmoDOTB  ov  Lbb  at  Pbocobton— Hu  Pbuon~Hb  Joan  nn  Aivt— Bn  EzFLon  at 
Pavlub*  HooK^CoMifAirDBB  or  A  Pabtbait  Cobts— HnQvALincATioiiB'— Sn  Cosrs— 
Hn  OrpiCBB6  — Hn  Bbbtxcbs  mcDBB  OBBBNB^BBnBBscBirT  noK  thb  Abmt— Hit  Hab> 
BiAOB^His  CiTXL  Cabbxb— TobWhoxbt  ImvBBBOTiON— Pdiokxbt^  Bbmabbb — Lbb'i 
Obatxok  OK  THB  Dbath  or  Washekoton  —  Hn  Sfbculatxons  axo  LoaeBB  — Ha  Dbaih 
—  Hxi  Eloqubkob  III  Sfbboh  ahv  Kbaoihbm  ab  a  Wbixbb. 

That  Washington  was  eminently  fortunate,  and  showed 
his  rare  and  penetrating  judgment  of  mankind,  in  his 
selections  of  officers,  as  well  for  important  commands,  as 
for  members  of  his  military  family,  we  may  learn  from 
the  history  of  our  olden  times.  Among  many  senior 
worthies,  the  illustrious  names  of  Greene,  Wajme,  and 
Morgan,  claim  prominent  rank,  while  of  the  young  aspir- 
ants in  arms,  whom  the  chief  may  be  said  to  have  ushered 
to  fame,  were  Lafayette,  Hamilton,  Pinckney,  Laurens, 
and  Lee.  To  these,  how  many  more  might  be  added, 
on  whom  the  inerit<lisceming  eye  of  the  chief  was  well- 
known  to  have  beamed  with  peculiar  esteem  and  favor ; 
as  William  Washington* — a  namesake,  but  more  related 

*  William  Wasbington  was  called  "  the  modem  Marcellos/'  "  the  sword  of  his 
country/'  and  other  names  indicative  of  his  soldierly  qaalities.  He  was  a  son  of 
Bailey  Washington,  of  Stafford  coanty,  Virginia,  where  he  was  bom,  on  the  twenty. 
'  eighth  of  Febraary,  1752.  He  was  educated  for  the  chnrch,  but  was  led  into  the 
field  of  politics  at  the  beginning  of  the  Rcrolntion.  He  entered  ihe  army  as  captain 
under  Colonel  (afterward  General)  Hugh  Mercer,  and  was  flnt  in  battle  on  Long 
Island.    He  distinguished  himself  at  Trenton,  and  was  with  Mercer  when  he  fell  at 


HENRT  LES.  865 

by  glory,  than  lineage — the  gallant^  gay,  Otho  Williams  * 
Watty  Stewart,f  Cadwalader,J  and  many,  many  others. 
Our  purpose  is,  to  attempt  a  brief  memoir  of  l4ee. 

Princeton.  He  was  promoted  to  major  in  Colonel  Baylor's  caralry  corps,  and  was 
with  him  when  General  Qray  made  his  murderous  attack  npon  the  corps  at  Tappan, 
in  1778.  The  following  year  he  joined  the  army  imder  Lincoln,  at  the  South,  and 
was  very  active  as  commander  of  horse,  in  the  vicinity  of  Charleston,  during  the 
siege  in  1780.  He  became  attached  to  the  division  of  General  Morgan,  and  fought 
bravely  with  him  at  the  Cowpens.  For  his  valor  there,  Congress  voted  him  a  silver 
medal.  He  accompanied  Greene  in  his  celebrated  retreat,  and  again  fought  bravely 
at  Guilford  courthouse.  At  Hobkirk's  hill  and  Entaw  he  behaved  gallantly.  At 
the  latter  place  he  was  made  prisoner,  and  was  a  captive  till  the  close  of  the  war. 
While  in  captivity  at  Charleston,  he  became  attached  to  a  young  lady  there,  married 
her,  and  settled  in  Charleston.  He  became  conspicuous  as  a  legislator,  but  declined 
being  a  candidate  for  governor,  chiefly  because  he  could  not  make  a  speech.  General 
Washington,  in  1798,  chose  Colonel  Washington  to  be  one  of  his  staff,  with  the 
rank  of  brigadier.    He  died  on  the  sixth  of  March,  181 0. 

*  Otho  Holland  William^  was  bom  in  Prince  George  county,  Maryland,  in  1748. 
His  ancestors  were  Welsh,  and  came  to  America  soon  after  Lord  Baltimore  became 
proprietor  of  the  province  of  Maryland.  He  was  left  an  orphan  at  twelve  years  of 
age.  He  was  a  resident  of  Frederick  county  when  the  war  of  the  Revolution  began, 
where  he  entered  the  military  service  as  lieutenant  of  a  rifle  corps  under  Colonel 
Michael  Cresap,  and  with  that  officer  he  went  to  Boston.  He  was  afterward  pro- 
moted to  the  command  of  his  company.  In  1776  he  was  promoted  to  major,  and 
fought  at  Fort  Washington  with  distinction.  In  that  engagement  he  was  wounded 
and  captured,  and  for  some  time  experienced  the  horrors  of  the  provost  prison  of 
New  York.  He  was  afterward  exchanged  for  Major  Ackland,  captured  at  Saratoga. 
]>aring  his  captivity,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  regiment  in  the  Mary- 
land line.  He  was  Gates's  adjutant-general  during  the  campaign  of  1780.  When 
Gates  collected  the  remnant  of  his  army,  scattered  at  Camden,  the  Marylanders 
were  formed  into  two  battalions,  constituting  one  regiment.  To  Williams  was 
assigned  the  command,  with  John  Eager  Howard  as  his  lieutenant.  When  Greene 
assumed  the  command  of  the  southern  army,  he  perceived  the  value  of  Williams, 
and  appointed  him  adjutant-general.  In  Greene's  memorable  retreat,  and  the  sub- 
sequent battle  of  Guilford,  Williams  greatly  distinguished  himself;  and  at  Eutaw 
Springs  he  led  the  celebrated  charge  which  swept  the  field  and  gained  the  temporary 
victory.  Congress  promoted  him  to  the  rank  of  brigadier;  and  at  the  close  of  the 
war  he  received  the  appointment  of  collector  of  customs  at  Baltimore,  which  office 
he  held  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  sixteenth  of  July,  1794,  while  on  his 
way  to  a  watering-place  for  the  benefit  of  his  health. 

t  Colonel  Walter  Stewart  was  of  Irish  descent,  had  a  fair  and  florid  complexion, 
was  vivacious,  intelligent,  and  well  educated;  and,  it  is  said,  was  the  handsomest 
man  in  the  American  army. 

X  Q^eral  John  Cadwalader,  of  Philadelphia. 


356  BECOLLECnONS   OF   WASHINGTON. 

Henry  Lee  was  bom  in  the  county  of  Stafford,  and 
state  of  Virginia,  and  was  educated  at  Nassau  Hall,*  in 
the  years  immediately  prior  to  the  Revolution.  In  very 
early  life  he  showed  a  disposition  toward  manliness,  as 
appears  from  a  ludicrous  anecdote,  probably  still  extant 
in  the  village  of  Princeton.  At  that  day,  the  village 
possessed  but  one  knight  of  the  strap,  commonly  called 
a  barber,  who  mowed  the  chins  and  powdered  the  wigs 
of  the  "  grave  and  reverend  seigniors"  of  the  faculty. 
Young  Lee  one  day  entered  the  shop,  and  pompously 
called  to  the  operator,  "Shave  me,  sir."  Old  Bazor, 
though  a  dealer  in  suds,  was  a  dry  fellow,  and  a  cele- 
brated wag.  After  looking  for  a  moment  with  surprise 
at  his  new  customer,  he  seated  the  youthful  aspirant  to 
the  honors  of  a  beard,  in  a  chair,  and  having  lathered 
him  up  to  the  eyes,  flourished  the  steel  as  if  about  to 
begin ;  then,  laying  it  down,  went  to  the  door,  and  con- 
tinued walking  backward  and  forward  in  the  street,  as 
though  he  were  looking  for  something  which  had  been 
lost.  Lee  bore  his  situation  for  a  while,  with  philosophic 
calmness,  till  his  patience  being  exhausted,  he  roared  out> 
"  Why  don't  you  come  and  shave  me,  sir?' — ^  Because," 
replied  the  waggish  tonsor,  ^  lam  hoJcing  for  yotir  heardP 

From  academic  groves,  Lee,  then  scarcely  nineteen, 
repaired  to  the  tented  field.  Of  a  height  not  exceeding 
the  middle  stature,  with  a  form  light  and  agile,  a  quick 
and  penetrating  glance,  and  a  genius  predominant  to- 
ward arms,  the  youthful  TmMaire  was  attached  to  the 

*  This  is  the  name  of  the  principal  bailding  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  at 
Princeton.  It  was  erected  in  1758,  and  was  so  named  by  Governor  Belcher,  in 
honor  of  William  of  Nassau,  king  of  England,  "who,  under  Qod,"  he  said,  "was 
the  great  deliverer  of  the  British  naXxon  from  those  two  monstrous  furies,  papery  ani* 
hvery," 


HENRY   LEE.  357 

cavalry  service,  and  became  distingiiished  in  the  early 
campaigns  of  the  Revolution. 

The  afiyr  of  Paulus's  Hook,  in  '79,  in  which  a  detach- 
ment led  by  Lee,  succeeded  in  the  surprise  and  capture 
of  the  enemy,  "marked  him  for  promotion."  In  reward 
of  this  brilliant  achievement,  Congress  voted  a  gold 
medal,*  and  the  commander-in-chief  was  pleased  to  author- 
ize Major  Lee  to  raise  and  discipline  a  partisan  legion,  to 
consist  of  three  companies  of  horse,  and  as  many  of  infan- 
try, and  to  command  the  same,  with  the  rank  of  lieu- 
tenant-coloneLf  No  officer  in  the  American  army  could 
have  been  better  fitted  than  Lee  for  the  command  of  a 
partisan  corps ;  for  in  the  surprise  of  posts,  in  gaining 
intelligence,  of  distracting  and  discomfiting  your  enemy, 
without  bringing  him  to  a  general  action,  and  all  the 
strategy  which  belongs  to  the  partisan  warfare,  few 
officers  in  any  service  have  been  more  distinguished 
than  the  subject  of  our  memoir*  The  legion  of  Lee, 
under  the  untiring  labors  of  its  active,  talented  com- 


*  Paalas'8  Hook  was  the  name  of  the  point  of  land  apon  which  Jersey  City  now 
stands,  opposite  New  York.  The  British  erected  quite  strong  military  works  there, 
after  they  took  possession  of  the  city  of  New  York  and  the  Jerseys.  Major  Lee  was 
stationed  not  far  from  that  point,  in  the  summer  of  1779,  and  learned  that  Major 
Sutherland,  the  commander  of  the  garrison,  resting  in  fancied  security,  was  by  no 
means  yigilant  Fired  with  enthusiasm  at  the  success  of  Wayne  at  Stony  Point, 
Lee  asked  permission  of  Washington  to  attack  the  garrison  at  Paulus's  Hook.  It 
was  granted ;  and  in  the  eyening  of  the  eighteenth  of  August,  Lee  set  out  in  high 
spirits,  with  three  hundred  men,  followed  at  helping  distance  by  Lord  Stirling  with 
fire  hundred  more.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  fell  upon  the  little  fort, 
killed  thirty  of  the  garrison  in  prosecuting  the  assault,  and  made  one  hundred  and 
fifty-nine  prisoners.  For  this  exploit,  the  Congress  honored  Lee  with  a  vote  of 
thanks,  and  ordered  a  gold  medal  to  be  struck  in  commemoration  of  the  occasion, 
and  presented  to  him. 

t  Major  Lee  was  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel  in  November,  1780,  and  on  the 
thirty-first  of  October,  Congress  ordered  him  to  join  Greene  in  the  South,  with  his 
corps. 


358  RECOLLECnONB   OF   WASHINQTON. 

mander,  became  one  of  the  most  efficient  corps  in  the 
American  army. 

The  horsemen  were  principally  recruited  in  the  South- 
em  and  Middle  states — countries  proverbial  for  furnish- 
ing skilful  riders;  while  the  horses^  under  the  inspeo 
tion  of  the  Virginian  commander,  were  superior  in  bone 
and  figm*e,  and  could  many  of  them  have  boasted  a  lineal 
descent  from  the  Godolphin  Arabian. 

Among  Lee's  officers,  were  the  good  and  gallant  names 
of  Eggleston,  Rudolph,  Armstrong,  O'Neil,  and  the  sur^ 
viving  honored  veterans  Allen  M^Lane  of  Delaware,  and 
Harrison  of  Virginia.*  The  arrival  of  the  legion  in  the 
South  was  hailed  as  most  auspicious  to  the  success  of  our 
arms  in  that  quarter ;  indeed,  so  fine  a  corps  of  horse 
and  foot,  so  well  disciplined,  and  in  such  gallant  array, 
was  rarely  to  be  seen  in  those  our  days  of  desolation. 
The  partisan  legion  did  good  service  in  the  campaigns  of 
the  Carolinas,  and  the  commander  won  his  way  to  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  Greene,  the  weUiehved  of  Wash- 
inffton,  as  he  had  previously  done  to  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  the  great  chief  himself  ;f  and,  as  a  justice  to 
the  great  military  sagacity  of  Lee,  let  it  be  remembered, 
that  he  was  mainly  instrumental  in  advising  Greene  to 
that  return  to  the  CaroUnas^  which  eventuated  in  the  deci- 

*  This  was  first  pablished  in  the  National  Intelligeneer,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of 
Aagnst,  1828. 

t  In  the  early  part  of  the  war,  Lee  distinguished  himself  for  skill  and  bravery, 
and  Washington  became  very  mnch  attached  to  him.  On  one  occasion  while  the 
Americans  were  encamped  at  Valley  Foige,  Lee  performed  a  gallant  exploit,  and 
Washington,  not  content  with  honoring  him  with  a  pablic  notice,  wrote  a  private 
letter  to  him  full  of  the  warmest  expressions  of  friendship.  It  is  believed  that  Wash- 
ington's friendship  for  Lee  was  partly  based  npon  the  remembrance  of  his  early 
love  for  Lee's  mother,  the  "  lowland  beauty"  of  which  he  wrote,  as  having  won 
his  heart  when  he  was  a  lad  of  sixteen  years. 


HENBT   LEE.  859 

Bire  and  gloriotis  combat  of  Eutaw,*  and  Hie  virtual  liber- 
ation of  the  South.  With  the  close  of  the  campaign  of 
1781,  ended  the  military  services  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Ijee.f  He  retired  on  furlough  to  Virginia,  and  was  hap- 
pily present  at  the  surrender  of  his  old  adversary,  the 
formidable  Comwallis,  at  Yorktown,  October  19th.  Lee 
married  shortly  afterward,  and  settled  in  the  county  of 
Westmoreland,  but  was  permitted,  by  his  grateful  and 
admiring  countrymen,  for  a  short  time  only,  to  enjoy  the 
^otium  cum  dignitaiey'  being  successively  chosen  to  the 
state  legislature,  the  convention  for  ratifying  the  con- 
stitution, the  gubernatorial  chair,  and  the  Congress  of 
Ae  United  States.  J 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  western  insurrection,  Lee, 
then  governor  of  Virginia,  was  appointed  by  the  presi- 
dent to  the  command-in-chief  of  the  forces  which  were 
inarched  to  the  seat  of  rebellion.§    To  this  appointment, 

*  In  September,  1781.  The  British  armj  in  South  Carolina  had  been  driren  to- 
ward ihe  seapboard,  and  was  encamped  at  Entaw  Springs,  near  the  southwest  bank 
of  the  Ssntee  river,  about  sixtj  miles  from  Charleston.  There,  on  the  morning  of 
the  eighth  of  September,  Greene,  with  a  considerable  force,  fell  upon  the  enemy,  and 
a  severe  battle  ensued.  The  British  were  driven  from  their  camp,  when  Greene's 
troops  carelessly  strolled  among  the  tents  which  the  enemy  had  left.  The  British 
onezpectedly  renewed  the  conflict,  and  after  a  bloody  battle  of  four  hours,  the  Amer- 
icans had  to  give  way.  That  night  the  British  retreated  toward  Charieston,  and  the 
next  morning  Greene  took  possession  of  the  battle-field.  In  that  engagement,  Lee 
and  his  legion  were  very  conspicuous. 

t  In  January,  1782,  Colonel  Lee  sought  and  obtained  permission  to  leave  the 
army  on  account  of  his  impaired  health,  when  Greene  declared  that  his  services 
had  been  greater  than  those  of  any  one  man  attached  to  the  southern  army. 

X  Ho  was  a  delegate  in  Congress  for  Viiginia,  in  1786,  and  in  1788  he  was  a 
member  of  ihe  state  convention,  called  to  ratify  the  federal  constitution.  In  1792 
he  was  elected  governor  of  Viiginia,  and  in  1799  he  was  again  elected  to  a  seat  in 
Congress. 

S  This  is  known  in  history  as  the  "  Whiskey  Insurrection,"  and  occurred  in 
Western  Pennsylvania,  in  1794.  It  grew  out  of  an  unpopular  excise  law  passed  in 
1791,  which  imposed  duties  on  domestic  distilled  liquors.    A  new  act  on  the  sulgecl^ 


360  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINOTON. 

Major-General  Morgan,  who  commanded  the  troops  de- 
tailed from  Virginia,  at  first  demurred,  Morgan  haying 
been  a  brigadier  in  the  old  service  of  the  Bevolution, 
while  the  rank  of  Lee  was  that  of  lieutenant-colonel ;  but 
the  hero  of  the*  Cowpens  soon  waived  his  claims  of  rank, 
with  the  same  magnanimous  sentiments  which  afterward 
distinguished  the  estimable  Charles  Cotesworth  Pinck- 
ney,  in  the  difference  about  rank,  in  the  army  of  1798, 
who  said,  '^  He  [the  chief]  should  know  us  best ;  we  are  all 
his  children,  and  he  must  be  the  best  judge  of  our  re- 
spective merits." 

With  the  advantages  of  a  classical  education.  General 
Lee  possessed  taste,  and  distinguished  powers  of  elo- 
quence ;  and  was  selected,  on  the  demise  of  Washington, 
to  deliver  the  oration  in  the  funeral  solemnities  decreed 
by  Congress  in  honor  of  the  Pater  Patriae  *  The  oration 
having  been  but  imperfectly  committed  to  memory,  fix)m 
the  very  short  time  in  which  it  was  composed,  somewhat 
impaired  its  effect  upon  the  auditory ;  but^  as  a  composi- 
tion, it  has  only  to  be  read  to  be  admired,  for  the  purity 
and  elegance  of  its  language,  and  the  powerful  appeal  it 
makes  to  the  hearts  of  its  readers ;  and  we  will  venture 

equally  anpopular,  was  passed  by  Congress  in  the  spring  of  1794 ;  and  when,  soon 
after  the  session  had  closed,  officers  were  sent  oat  to  the  western  districts  of  Penn- 
sylvania to  enforce  the  law,  the  inhabitants  presented  armed  resistance.  The  insur- 
rection became  general  throughout  all  that  region,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Pittsbuxgh 
many  outrages  were  committed.  Buildings  were  bunied,  mails  were  robbed,  and 
government  officers  were  abused.  President  Washington  first  issued  two  procla- 
mations (August  7  and  September  25),  but  without  effect.  AU  peaceable  means  for 
maintaining  law  being  exhausted,  he  ordered  out  a  large  body  of  the  militia  of  Vir- 
ginia, Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  and  New  Jersey.  These  marched  to  the  insui^nt  dis- 
trict in  October,  under  the  command  of  General  Lee,  who  was  then  the  governor  of 
Virj^nia.    The  military  argument  was  effectual,  and  the  rebellion  was  crashed. 

*  An  account  of  the  congressional  proceedings  on  that  occasion  will  be  found  in 
another  part  of  this  work. 


HENBT  LEE.  361 

to  affirm,  that  it  will  rank  among  the  most  celebrated 
perfonnances  of  those  highly  distinguished  men  who 
momited  the  rostrum  on  that  imposing  occasion  of  na- 
tional mourning.* 

With  his  congressional  career  ended  the  better  days 
of  this  highly-gifted  man.  An  unhappy  rage  for  specu- 
lation caused  him  to  embark  upon  that  treacherous 
stream,  which  gently,  and  almost  imperceptibly,  at  first, 
but  with  sure  and  fearful  rapidity  at  last,  hurries  its  vic- 
tims to  the  vortex  of  destruction.  It  was,  indeed,  lament- 
able to  behold  the  venerable  Morris  and  Lee,  patriots, 
who,  in  the  senates  of  liberty,  and  on  her  battle-fields, 
had  done  the  "  state  such  service/'  instead  of  enjoying  a 
calm  and  happy  evening  of  life,  to  be  languishing  in 
prison  and  in  exile.  Lee,  after  long  struggling  with 
adversity,  sought  in  a  foreign  land  a  refuge  from  his 
many  ills,  where,  becoming  broken  in  health,  he  returned 
home  to  die.  He  reached  the  mansion  of  Greene,  and 
fortune,  relenting  of  her  firowns,  lit  up  his  few  remaining 
days  with  a  smile.  There,  amid  attentions  the  most  con- 
soling and  kindly,  surrounded  by  recollections  of  his  old 
and  loved  commander,  the  most  fond  and  endearing,  the 
worn  and  wearied  spirit  of  the  patriot,  statesman,  and 
soldier  of  liberty,  found  rest  in  the  grave.f 

In  one  particular,  Lee  may  be  said  to  have  excelled 
his  illustrious  cotemporaries  Marshall,  Madison,  Hamilton, 
Gouvemeur  Morris,  and  Ames.     It  was  in  a  surprising 

*  Lee't  oration  is  printed  ia  tho  appendix  of  this  volame. 

t  Qaneral  Lee  was  sererely  injured  by  a  political  mob  in  Baltimore,  in  1812,  and 
never  recorered.  He  went  to  the  West  Indies  with  the  hope  of  improving  his  health, 
bat  it  continoally  declined.  Early  in  1818  he  returned  to  the  United  States.  He 
stopped  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Shaw,  the  daughter  of  his  old  friend  and  companion-in- 
anns,  General  Greene,  on  Cumberland  island,  off  the  coast  of  Geoigia,  where  he 
died  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  March,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years. 


862  BECOIXECnDNS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

quickness  of  talent,  a  genius  sudden,  dazzling,  and  always 
at  command,  with  an  eloquence  which  seemed  to  flow 
unbidden.  Seated  at  a  conviyial  board,  when  the  death 
of  Patrick  Henry  was  announced,  Lee  called  for  a  scrap 
of  paper,  and,  in  a  few  moments,  produced  a  striking  and 
beautiful  eulogium  upon  the  Demosthenes  of  modem 
liberty.  His  powers  of  conversation  were  also  fascinating 
in  the  extreme,  possessing  those  rare  and  admirable 
qualities  which  seize  and  hold  captive  his  hearers,  de- 
lighting while  they  instruct  That  Lee  was  a  man  of 
letters,  a  scholar  who  had  ripened  under  a  truly  classical 
sun,  we  have  only  to  turn  to  his  work  on  the  southern 
war,  where  he  was,  indeed,  the  ^  magna  pars  fvi*"  of  all 
which  he  relates — a  work  which  well  deserves  to  be  ranked 
with  the  commentaries  of  the  famed  master  of  the  Bo- 
man  world,  who,  like  our  Lee,  was  equally  renowned  with 
the  pen  as  the  sword*  But  there  is  a  line,  a  single  line, 
in  the  works  of  Lee,  which  would  hand  him  over  to  im- 
mortality, though  he  had  never  written  another.  ^Fini 
m  war^  first  in  peace^  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  Ms  countrymen^ 
will  last  while  language  last8.f  What  a  sublime  eulogium 
is  pronoimced  in  this  noble  line !  So  few  words,  and  yet 
how  illustrative  are  they  of  the  vast  and  matchless  char- 
acter of  Washington !  They  are  words  which  will  descend 
with  the  memory  of  the  hero  they  are  meant  to  honor,  to 
the  veneration  of  remotest  posterity,  and  be  graven  on 
colossal  statues  of  the  Pater  Patriaa  in  some  future  age.  J 

*  General  Lee's  Memoin  of  the  War  tn  the  Southern  Department  of  Ae  OnUed 
Statei,  were  written  in  1808,  and  the  last  edition  was  printed  in  1827.  It  is  a  work 
of  great  interest,  and  veiy  reliable.  It  is  now  soaght  after  by  all  collectors  of  works 
on  American  history,  but  can  rarely  be  found,  baring  been  oat  print  for  many  yean. 

t  This  noteble  expression  was  nsed  by  General  Lee  in  his  oration  on  the  charactet 
of  Washington. 

X  These  words  were  cut  npon  the  granite  pedestal  of  Greenongh's  "  colossal 


HSNBY   LEE.  363 

The  attachment  of  Lee  to  Washington  was  like  that 
of  Hamilton,  pure  and  enthusiastic  —  like  that  of  the 
chivalric  Laurens,  devotional.  It  was  in  the  praise  of 
his  "  hero,  his  friend,  and  a  countr3r's  preserver,"  that  the 
splendid  talent  of  Lee  were  often  elicited,  with  a  force 
and  grandeur  of  eloquence  wholly  his  own.  The  fame 
and  memory  of  his  chief  was  the  fondly-cherished  pas- 
sion to  which  he  clung  amid  the  wreck  of  his  fortunes  — 
the  hope,  which  gave  warmth  to  his  heart  when  all  else 
around  him  seemed  cold  and  desolate. 

But  shall  the  biographer^s  task  be  complete,  when  the 
fiiults  of  his  subject  are  not  taken  in  the  accoimt?  Of 
faults,  perhaps  the  subject  of  our  memoir  had  many; 
yet  how  admirable  is  the  maxim  handed  down  to  us  from 
the  ancients,  ^  de  nwrtttis  nil,  nisi  hormmP  Let  the  faults 
of  Lee  be  buried  in  his  distant  grave  —  let  the  tiurf  of 
oblivion  close  over  the  failings  of  him,  whose  early  de- 
votion to  liberty,  in  liberty's  battles — whose  eloquence  in 
her  senates,  and  historical  memoirs  of  her  times  of  trial, 
shed  a  lustre  on  his  country  in  the  young  days  of  the 
Republic ;  and  when  the  Americans  of  some  future  date 
shall  search  amid  the  records  of  their  early  history  for 
the  lives  of  illustrious  men,  who  flourished  in  the  age 
of  Washington,  high  on  a  brilliant  scroll  will  they  find 
inscribed,  Henry  Lee,  a  son  of  Virginia  —  the  patriot, 
soldier,  and  historian  of  the  Bevolution,  and  orator  and 
statesman  of  the  Republic. 

•tatae"  of  Washington  (now  within  the  square,  eastward  of  the  Federal  capitol) 
fifteen  years  after  this  prophecj  was  written. 


364  BBOOLLECnOHS  OF  WAfiHOraTON. 


CHAPTER  XVIL 

BIBTH-NIGHT   BALLS   AND   THE  THEATRB. 

laBRTunoir   or  ma  Bxbtb-Niobt   BALL—GsuDSATioir  or  WAiauroToii^   BnmDAT— 
WiiHDiQTOii^  ArranDAXom  vpox  ms  Balxjb— DsoosATiom  or  nn  Ladisi— Ths  Ifm- 

VST— WlBBIROTOIT^  LaIT    DAXOS  — HX8    LaST    ArRKSAXOB    AT   ▲    B ALL  —  WaSHXHOTOV 

FoxD  or  Tin  Tiuatsb  —  BMsmov  or  thb  PsasiDsirT  as  thb  THSATUt— Ths  Thv- 
ATBXOAL  Compact— Mmio  ov  tbs  Oooabiox  or  WAsxroroTox^  Attbtdamcs— Dnro* 
TOM  or  THi  Fit  akd  Oallsby— Bbyolutxovast  Bkrtdcuit. 

The  birth-night  ball  was  instituted  at  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  its  first  celebration,  we  believe, 
was  held  in  Alexandria.*  Celebrations  of  the  birth-night 
soon  became  general  in  all  the  towns  and  cities,  the 
twenty-second  of  February,  like  the  fourth  of  July,  being 
considered  a  national  festival,  while  the  peculiarity  attend- 
ing the  former  was,  that  its  parade  and  ceremonies 
always  closed  with  the  birth-night  ball.  In  the  larger 
cities,  where  public  balls  were  customary,  the  birth-nighty 
in  the  olden  time,  as  now,  was  the  gala  assembly  of  the 
season.  It  was  attended  by  all  the  beauty  and  fashion, 
and  at  the  seat  of  government,  by  the  foreign  ambassa- 
dors, and  by  strangers  of  distinction.    The  first  president 

*  The  French  officers  who  served  in  America  during  the  Revolution,  appear  to 
have  celebrated  the  birthday  of  Washington  immediately  after  the  war.  This  fact 
is  indicated  by  the  following  paragraph  in  a  letter  written  by  Washington  to  tlie 
Count  de  Rochambeau,  in  the  spring  of  1784.  He  says,  "  The  flattering  distinction 
paid  to  the  anniversary  of  my  birthday,  is  an  honor  for  which  I  dare  not  attempt  to 
express  my  gratitude.  I  confide  in  your  excellency's  sensibility  to  interpret  my  feel- 
ings for  this,  and  for  the  obliging  manner  in  which  yon  are  pleased  to  announce  it" 


BIRTH-NIGHT  BALLS  AJXD  THE  THEATRE.  365 

always  attended  on  the  birth-night.  The  etiquette  was, 
not  to  open  the  ball  until  the  arriyal  of  him  in  whose 
honor  it  was  given ;  but,  so  remarkable  was  the  pimc- 
tualitj  of  Washington  in  all  Ins  engagements,  whether 
for  business  or  pleasure,  that  he  was  never  waited  for  a 
moment  in  appointments  for  either.  Among  the  brilliant 
illustrations  of  a  birth-night  of  five-and-thirty  years  ago,* 
the  most  unique  and  imposing  was  the  groups  of  young 
and  beautiful  ladies,  wearing  in  their  hair  bandeaux  or 
scrolls,  having  embroidered  thereon,  in  language  both 
ancient  and  modem,  the  motto  of  ^  Zonff  Uve  theprmdentr^ 

*  This  was  fint  pnbluhed  in  the  Natianal  InidUgencer,  on  the  twenty-second  of 
Febmaij,  1830. 

t  In  a  yeij  interesting  letter,  dated  Philadelphia,  twenty-fifth  May,  1859,  which  I 
received  from  the  renerable  Samuel  Breck  of  that  city,  giWng  me  a  brief  record  of 
his  recollections  of  Washington's  Tuit  to  Boston  in  1789,  he  says,  after  speaking  of 
a  dinner  party  at  Goyemor  Hancock's — "  Meantime  the  French  ships  of  war  in  the 
harbor  were  dressed  in  yariegated  lamps,  and  bonfires  blazed  in  the  streets.  The 
ladie»  won  haandeauXf  cettuses,  and  ribbons,  Btamped  and  embroidered  with  the  name  of 
Wabhim OTOH ;  SDins  in  gold  and  eilver  letters,  and  eome  in  pearie." 

The  birthday  of  Washington  was  early  celebrated  among  the  masses  of  the  people, 
They  had  been  accustomed  to  do  honor  to  the  birthday  of  King  Qeoi^go,  on  the 
fourth  of  June ;  now  they  more  delighted  to  do  honor  to  a  nobler  Qeoige,  on  the 
twenty-second  of  February.  Popuhir  songs  often  onlirened  the  occasion,  and  ex- 
pressed the  sentiments  of  the  people.  One  of  these,  written  more  than  sixty  years 
ago,  is  preserved,  from  which  I  quote  some  stanzas  as  a  specimen  of  its  spirit: — 

"  Come  boys,  close  the  windows  and  make  a  good  fire, 
Wife,  children,  sit  snug  all  around : 
'Tis  the  day  that  gave  birth  to  our  country's  blessed  sire. 

Then  let  it  with  pleasure  be  crowned. 
Dear  wife,  bring  your  wine,  and,  in  spite  of  hard  times. 

On  this  day  at  least  we'll  be  merry : 
Come,  fill  every  glass  till  it  pours  o'er  the  brim. 
If  not  with  Madeira— then  Sherry. 
•  •  •  *  • 

"  May  the  laureb  of  fame  that  his  temples  enwreathed. 
Ever  flourish  in  gratitude's  tears : 
0 1  ever  his  name  with  devotion  be  breathed — 
That  name  which  our  country  endears." 


366  BBCOLLECnONS  OF  WASHINOKW. 

The  minuet  (now  obsolete),  for  the  graceful  and  ele- 
gant dancing  of  which  Washington  was  conspicuous,  in 
the  vice-regal  days  of  Lord  Botetourt  in  Virginia,  declined 
after  the  Revolution.  The  commander-in-chief  danced, 
for  his  last  time,  a  minuet,  in  1781,  at  the  ball  given  in 
Fredericksburg,  in  honor  of  the  French  and  American 
officers,  on  their  return  from  the  triumphs  at  Yorktown .♦ 
The  last  birth-night  attended  by  the  venerable  chief  was 
in  Alexandria,  twenty-second  February,  1798.  Indeed 
he  always  appeared  greatly  to  enjoy  the  gay  and  festive 
scene  exhibited  at  the  birth-night  balls,  and  usually  re- 
mained to  a  late  hour ;  for,  remarkable  as  he  was  for 
reserve,  and  the  dignified  gravity  inseparable  from  his 
nature,  Washington  ever  looked  with  most  kind  and 
favoring  eye,  upon  the  rational  and  elegant  pleasures  of 

life.t 

The  first  president  was  partial  to  the  amusements  of 
the  theatre,  and  attended  some  five  or  six  times  in  a  sea- 
son, more  especially  when  some  public  charity  was  to 

*  See  paf^  144. 

t  The  following  letter  from  Washington,  written  about  a  month  before  his  death, 
has  an  interest  in  this  connection.  It  was  in  reply  to  an  invitation  from  a  com* 
mittee  of  gentlemen  of  Alexandria  to  attend  the  dancing  assemblies  at  that  place.  I 
copied  it  from  the  original  in  the  Alexandria  Biosenm,  in  1848. 

"  To  Meun.  Jonathan  Sun/t,  George  DeneaU,  WUUam  Newton,  Robert  Yovmg, 
Charles  Alexander,  Junior,  James  H,  Boole,  Managers, 

"Mount  Vernon,  1 2th  November,  1799. 
"  Qbktlembn— Mrs.  Washington  and  myself  have  been  honorod  with  your  polite 
invitation  to  the  assemblies  of  Alexandria  this  winter,  and  thank  yon  for  this  mark 
of  your  attention.  Bat,  alas  1  onr  dancing  days  are  no  more.  We  wish,  however, 
all  those  who  have  a  relish  for  so  agreeable  and  innocent  an  amusement  all  the 
pleasure  the  season  will  afford  them ;  and  I  am,  gentlemen, 

"  Your  most  obedient  and  obliged  humble  servant, 

"  Qbo.  Washiwotok." 

See  letters  of  Washihoton  and  Cdstis,  July  1  and  July  10,  on  pages  89  and  90 
of  this  volume. 


BIRTH-NIGHT  BALLS   AND   THB  THEATRE.  367 

be  benefitted  by  the  performance.  The  habit  was,  for 
the  manager  to  wait  on  the  president,  requesting  him  to 
command  a  play ;  the  pieces  so  commanded  partook  of 
but  little  variety,  but  must  be  admitted  to  have  been  in 
excellent  taste — the  "  School  for  Scandal,"  and  "Every 
one  has  his  Fault,"  for  the  plays,  and  for  the  afterpieces, 
there  was  almost  a  standing  order  for  the  "  Poor  Soldier^' 
and  "  Wignell's  Darby ."*    The  old  American  company, 

*  In  his  diary,  nnder  date  of  Tuesday,  NoTember  24,  1789,  Washington  re- 
corded as  follows :  "  A  good  deal  of  company  at  the  levee  to-day.  Went  to  the  play 
in  the  erening— sent  tickets  to  the  following  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  invited  them 
to  take  seats  in  my  box,  viz. :  Mrs.  Adams  (lady  of  the  vice-president),  General 
Schnyler  and  lady,  Mr.  King  and  lady,  Major  Batter  and  lady,  Colonel  Hamilton 
and  lady,  Mrs.  Greene — all  of  whom  accepted  and  came,  except  Mrs.  Batler, 
who  was  indisposed."    What  a  group  for  onr  contemplation ! 

The  theatre  was  in  John  street,  north  side,  not  far  eastward  from  Broadway.  It 
was  a  small,  frail  affair,  and  capable  of  holding  only  about  three  hundred  persons. 
This  was,  doubtless,  the  occasion  described  by  Dnnlap,  when  Wignell  performed 
the  part  of  Darby,  in  the  interlude  of  Darby's  Return,  a  play  written  by  that  gentle- 
man. Darby  (an  Irish  lad)  recounts  his  adventures  in  the  United  States  and  else- 
where. When  he  related  what  befell  him  in  the  city  of  New  York,  at  the  inauguration 
of  the  president,  &c.,  "  the  interest  expressed  by  the  audience,"  says  Dunlap,  "  in 
the  looks  and  the  changes  of  countenance  of  the  great  man  [Washington],  became 
intense."    At  the  descriptive  lines — 

"  A  man  who  fought  to  free  the  land  from  woe, 

Like  me,  had  left  his  farm,  a  soldiering  to  go, 

But  having  gained  his  point,  he  had,  like  me, 

Betnmed  his  own  potatoe-ground  to  see. 

"  But  then  he  could  not  rest.    With  one  accord, 
He  is  called  to  be  a  kind  of— 4iot  a  lord — 
I  don't  know  what ;  he 's  not  a  great  mcLU,  sure. 
For  poor  men  love  him  just  as  he  were  poor" — 
the  president  looked  serious ;  and  when  Kathleen  asked, 

"  How  looked  he,  Darby  1    Was  he  short  or  tall  ?"— 
Washington's  countenance  showed  embarrassment  from  the  expectation  of  one  of 
those  eulogies  which  he  had  been  compelled  "  to  hear  on  many  public  occasions,  and 
which  must,  doubUess,  have  been  a  severe  trial  to  his  feelings."    The  president  was 
relieved  by  Darby's  declaration  that  he  had  noi  seen  him, 
Mr.  Dnnlap,  in  his  "  History  of  the  American  Theatre,"  allades  thus  to  the  fact, 


868  BECOIXECnONS   of  WASHINGTON. 

comprising  Hallam  and  Henry,  Harper,  Wignell,  and  old 
Morris,  first  played  in  1789,  in  the  theatre  in  John  street, 
and  nothing  more  truly  shows  our  transcendent  march 
toward  refinement,  than  the  contrast  between  the  hum- 
ble, nay,  bam-like  theatre,  which  the  first  president 
attended  forty  years  ago,  and  the  now  various  and  mag- 
nificent temples  of  Thespis,  which  adorn  the  present 
great  and  splendid  city  of  New  York. 

^The  company  moved  with  the  government  to  Philar 
delphia,  and  performed  in  the  old  theatre,  Southwark,  in 
which  was  some  scenery,  said  to  have  been  painted  by 
the  interesting  and  unfortunate  Major  Andre,  until  the 
erection  of  the  house  in  Chestnut  street,  where  we  be- 
lieve the  curtain  fell  upon  the  exits  of  the  last  remnants 
of  the  old  American  company.* 

In  New  York,  the  play-bill  was  headed,  "By  particular 
desire^'  when  it  was  announced  that  the  president  would 
attend.  On  those  nights  the  house  would  be  crowded 
from  top  to  bottom,  as  many  to  see  the  hero  as  the  play. 
Upon  the  president's  entering  the  stage-box  with  his  family, 
the  orchestra  would  strike  up  TJie  Presideitfs  March  (now 
Hail  Colwnhia)y  composed  by  a  German  named  Feyles,  in 
'89,  in  contradistinction  to  the  march  of  the  Revolution, 

that  in  the  theatrical  world  particular  regard  was  had  to  the  birthdaj  of  Washing- 
ton :  "  The  theatre  having  been  closed  for  the  benefit  of  the  managers,  was  re- 
opened on  the  twenty-second  of  Febniarj  [1810],  with  Gustavua  Vtua,  a  play 
thought  appropriate  for  the  birthday  of  Washington,  and  frequently  as  such  brought 
forward." 

^  Major  Andr6  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  getting  up  theatrical  performances  in 
Philadelphia,  during  the  occupancy  of  that  city  by  the  Britiish  army,  in  tlra  winter 
of  1777,  '78,  and  tradition  says  that  he  painted  nearly  all  the  scenery  that  was  used. 
Wignell,  of  the  old  American  company,  opened  the  theatre  in  Philadelphia  (a  new 
and  splendid  one),  on  the  seTcnteenth  of  February,  1794.  The  last  performance  of 
the  old  American  company  was,  I  believe,  in  1798,  at  about  which  time  the  Park 
theatre  in  New  York  was  opened,  with  a  new  and  strong  company. 


BntTH-MIOHt  BAUS  Aitt)  MB  tHEATRE.  369 

called  Washinfftcfis  March.*  The  audience  applauded 
on  the  entrance  of  the  president^  but  the  pit  and  gallery 
were  so  truly  despotic  in  the  early  days  of  the  republic, 
that  so  soon  as  HaU  Cohnibia  had  ceased,  WdsMngtoris 
March  was  called  for  by  the  deafening  din  of  an  hundred 
voices  at  once,  and  upon  its  being  played,  three  hearty 
cheers  would  rock  the  building  to  its  base.  Indeed,  five- 
and-thirty  years  ago  there  could  not  be  gotten  together 
any  large  public  assembly  without  a  considerable  spice 
of  the  Revolution  being  among  it  The  soldiers  and 
sailors  of  the  War  for  Liberty  abounded  in  all  public 
places,  and  no  sooner  would  their  old  chief  appear,  than 
off  came  each  hat^  and  the  shout  of  welcome  resounded, 
pure,  spontaneous,  direct  from  the  heart. 

*  The  song  of  HaU  Columlna,  adapted  in  measure  to  the  President's  March,  was 
written  hj  Joseph  Hopkinson,  of  Philadelphia,  in  1798.  At  that  time  war  with 
Vnxkot  was  expected,  and  a  patriotie  feeling  penraded  the  commanitj.  Mr.  Fox,  a 
yomig  singer  and  actor,  called  apon  Mir.  Hopkinson  one  morning,  and  said,  "  To- 
morrow evening  is  appointed  for  mj  benefit  at  the  theatre.  Not  a  single  box  has 
been  taken,  and  I  fear  there  will  be  a  thin  house.  If  yon  will  write  me  some  patri- 
otic yerses  to  the  tnne  of  the  "  President's  March,"  I  feel  snre  of  a  fall  house. 
Sereral  people  about  the  theatre  haye  attempted  it,  but  they  have  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  it  can  not  be  done.  Yet  I  think  you  may  succeed."  Mr.  Hopkinson 
retired  to  his  study,  wrote  the  first  verse  and  chorus,  and  submitted  them  to 
Mrs.  Hopkinson,  who  sang  them  to  a  harpsichord  accompaniment.  The  time  and 
the  words  harmonized.  The  song  was  soon  finished,  and  that  evening  the  young 
actor  received  it  The  next  morning  the  theatre-placards  announced  that  Mr.  Fox 
would  sing  a  new  patriotic  spng.  The  house  was  crowded— the  song  was  snng— 
the  audience  were  delighted— eight  times  it  was  called  for  and  repeated,  and  when 
snng  the  ninth  time,  the  whole  audience  stood  up  and  Joined  in  the  chorus.  Night 
after  night,  "Hail  Columbia  "  was  applauded  in  the  theatres ;  and  in  a  few  days  it 
was  the  universal  song  of  the  boys  in  the  streets.    Such  was  the  original  of  our 

national  song,  HaU  ColwMa. 

24 


870  BECOLLECnONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

MFB  AT  MOUNT  VERNON  * 
WASHnraTOiT  Bmoira  bis  Cohxxmioh— Iv  BarxEBMnrr  at  Motjr*  Ynxoir— Hs  Ow 

AxomTBOT  AXD  OtXXSBSB  —  IXPSOVXMKHT  OF  HD  ESTATX — EnJOTMBITT  OP  PkIYATB  LOU 

—Two  or  BIB  Aioe  at  Mouvt  Yxbkov— Bishop  tbx  Old  Bodt-Sbbtabt— Bishop  oh 
*'BHiJ>Doox'B  FisLD^—Hn  Attaobmhht  to  Tin  Foetunhb  op  Washikotoh— Too  Old 
fob  Campaiokiho  ih  tub  BsTOLunox  —  WABHuroTOH's  Ihtbbooubsb  witb  bim  —  Golo- 
HXL  Sicith'B  Oallahtbt— Bishop^  Davobtxb  iJprBiOHTXD— Tbb  Wbath  op  Bnaop 
—  BiLLT  ▲  Pbaoxmaxxb— Bishop's  Wbath  Assxtagbd  —  WASiroraTOH  nr  tbh  Cohtbh- 
noH  OP  1787  — ChjlBlbs  Thohboh  at  Moxtht  Ybbnoh— WASHnroTOHi  Pbbsidkht  op  thb 
Uhrbd  Statbb. 

After  the  sublime  and  touching  event  of  the  "  resigna- 
tion of  the  commission,"  at  Annapolis,  on  the  twenty- 
third  of  December,  1783,  Washington  hastened  to  his 
beloved  retirement^  himg  up  his  sword,  and  prepared  to 
enjoy  the  delights  of  rural  and  domestic  life.f 

*  This  was  first  published  in  the  National  Tnielltgencer,  on  the  twenty-second  of 
Febniarj,  1848. 

t  The  British  army  eyacnated  the  city  of  New  York,  their  last  resting-place  on 
the  soil  of  the  United  States,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  Noyember,  1783.  The  American 
army  was  disbanded  immediately  afterward,  and  on  the  fourth  of  December,  Wash- 
ington bade  his  officers  farewell,  in  a  most  touching  personal  intcnriew,  in  New  York. 
He  then  went  to  Philadelphia,  where  the  fiscal  officers  of  the  goyemment  receiyed 
from  his  hands  a  full  statement  of  his  receipts  and  expenditures  during  the  war.  The 
Congress  were  then  in  session  at  Annapolis,  to  which  place  he  journeyed,  and  on 
the  twenty-third  of  December,  he  resigned  his  commission  as  commander4n-ehief  of 
the  armies  of  the  United  States,  into  the  hands  of  Thomas  Mifflin,  the  president  of 
Congress.  This  was  done  at  a  public  audience,  Washington  addressing  the  presi- 
dent in  words  appropriate  for  the  occasion,  and  Mifflin  replying  in  a  most  compliment- 
ary manner.  "  Haying  defended,"  he  said,  "  the  standard  of  liberty  in  this  new 
world — ^haying  taught  a  lesson  useful  to  those  who  inflict  and  to  those  who  feel 
oppression — ^you  retire  from  the  great  theatre  of  action  with  the  blessings  of  your 
fellow-citizens.  But  the  glory  of  your  yirtues  will  not  terminate  with  your  military 
command ;  it  will  continue  to  animate  remotest  ages." 


LIFB  AT  MOUNT  VXBNON.  371 

The  some  exact  and  economical  distribution  of  time^ 
the  same  methodical  and  active  habits  of  business^  that 
had  so  triumphantly  borne  the  commander  of  armies 
through  the  mighty  labors  of  an  eight  years'  war,  were 
now  destined,  in  the  works  of  peace,  alike  to  distinguish 
the  illustrious  farmer  of  Mount  Vernon. 

After  so  long  an  absence,  the  retired  general,  on  re- 
turning to  his  home,  found  that  there  was  much  to 
create.  Previous  to  the  war,  the  establishment  of  Mount 
Vernon  was  upon  a  very  limited  scale.  The  mansion- 
house  was  small,  having  but  four  rooms  on  a  floor ;  and 
there  were  wanting  nearly  all  of  the  present  outbuild- 
ings and  offices. 

Washington  was  his  own  architect  and  builder,  laying 
oflF  everything  himself  The  buildings,  gardens,  and 
grounds  all  rose  to  ornament  and  usefulness  under  his 
fostering  hand.* 

His  landed  estate,  comprising  eight  thousand  acres, 
underwent  many  and  important  changes  and  improve- 
ments. It  was  divided  into  farms,  with  suitable  en- 
closures ;  hedges  were  planted,  and  excellent  farm-build- 
ings were  erected,  from  European  models.  Devoting 
much  time  and  attention  to  these  various  objects,  Wash- 
ington accomplished  the  most  important  of  his  improve- 
ments in  the  very  short  space  of  from  four  to  five  years.t 

*  In  the  ftrrangement  and  embellUhment  of  his  groands,  as  well  as  in  the  enlai^ge- 
^ment  and  improvement  of  the  mansion-house,  Washington  attended  to  the  minntest 
details.  He  made  drawings  of  ererj  plan,  made  a  memorandum  of  every  relative 
distance  of  buildings,  inclosures,  et  cetera,  and  designated  the  position  of  every  tree 
that  was  planted.  I  have  before  me  some  of  his  original  drawings,  in  which  all 
these  detaib  appear,  with  memoranda  in  his  neat  handwriting.  One  of  these  drawings, 
published  in  "Mount  Vernon  and  its  AsaoekUimiM,"  shows  the  form  of  the  lawn  on 
the  west  front  of  the  mansion,  the  flower  and  vegetable  garden,  and  the  name  and 
position  of  every  tree, 
t  At  the  close  of  the  war,  Washington  commenced  very  extensive  improvemautt 


872  RECXHiLECmONS  Of  WASHIKOTON. 

Nor  was  his  time  exclusivelj  allotted  to  business ;  he 
had  a  ^  time  for  all  things.**    He  enjoyed  the  pleasures 

at  Mount  Vernon.  The  nmnflion  was  greatly  enlarged,  the  noble  piazza  that  adorns 
the  rirer-fnmt,  the  observatory  and  cupola  npon  the  roof,  and  the  kitchen  and  laan- 
drj)  and  connecting  colonnades,  as  thej  now  appear,  were  erected.  In  all  these  im- 
provements,  Washington  had  an  eye  to  utility  and  durability.  The  out-baildings 
were  made  of  the  most  substantial  materials,  and  the  floors  of  the  piazza  and  the 
corered  colonnades  were  pared  with  cnt  stone.  In  this  connection,  the  following 
letter  to  Mr.  Rumney,  of  Alexandria  (formerly  an  aid  to  General  Lee),  already 
alluded  to  in  a  note  on  pnge  171,  will  be  found  verj  interesting : 

"  General  Washington  presents  his  compliments  to  Mr.  Rumney — would  esteem 
it  as  a  particular  favor  if  Mr.  Rumney  would  make  the  following  enquiries  as  soon 
as  convenient,  after  his  arrival  in  England ;  and  communicate  the  result  of  them  by 
the  Packet,  or  any  other  safe  and  expeditious  conveyance  to  this  country. 
"  First.  The  terms  upon  which  the  best  kind  of  Whitehaven  Fla^  stone— black 
&  white  in  equal  quantities— could  be  delivered  at  the  Port  of  Alexandria  by 
the  superHcial  foot,  workmanship,  freight  &  every  other  incidental  chai^ge  in- 
cluded.  The  stone  to  be  S)  Inches,  or  thereabouts,  thick;  and  exactly  afoot 

square    each  kind.    To  have  a  rich  polished  face,  and  good  joints  so  as  that  a 
neat  floor  may  be  made  therewith. 
"2nd.  Upon  what  terms  the  common  Irish  Mari>le  (black  &  white  if  to  be  had) 

— same  dimensions,  could  be  delivered  as  above. 
"Srd.  As  the  General  has  been  informed  of  a  very  cheap  Kind  of  Marble,  good 
in  quality  at  or  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ostend,  he  wonld  thank  Mr.  Rnmney, 
if  it  should  fall  in  his  way,  to  institute  an  enquiry  into  this  also. 
"  On  the  Report  of  Mr.  Rumney,  the  General  will  take  his  ultimate  determination ; 
for  which  reason  he  prays  him  to  be  precise  and  exact.    The  Piazza  or  Colonade 
for  which  this  is  wanted  as  a  floor  is  ninety-two  feet,  eight  inches,  by  twelve  feet 
eight  inches  within  the  margin,  or  border  that  surrounds  it.    Over  and  above  the 
quantity  here  mentioned,  if  the  above  Flags  are  cheap — or  a  cheaper  kind  of  hard 
Btone  could  be  had,  he  wonld  get  as  much  as  wonld  lay  floors  in  the  Circular  CoU 
onades,  or  covered  ways  at  the  wings  of  the  House — each  of  which  at  the  outer 
curve,  is  38  feet  in  length  by  7  feet  3  Inches  in  breadth,  within  the  margin  or  bor- 
der as  aforesaid. 

"  Tl^e  General  being  in  want  of  a  House  Joiner  &  Bricklayer  who  understand  their 
respective  trades  perfectly,  would  thank  Mr.  Rnmney  for  enquring  into  the  terms 
upon  which  such  workmen  might  be  Engaged  for  two  or  three  years ;  (the  time  of 
service,  to  commence  upon  the  Ship's  arrival  at  Alexandria,)  a  shorter  term  than 
two  years  would  not  answer,  becaoM  foreigners  generally  have  a  seasoning ;  which 
with  other  interruptions  too  frequently  waste  the  greater  part  of  the  first  year- 
more  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  employer  than  the  Employed.— Bed  board  &  Tools 
to  be  found  by  the  former,  clothing  by  the  latter. 

"If  two  men  of  the  above  Trades  and  of  orderly  and  quiet  deportment  could  be 
obtained  for  twenty-five  or  even  thirty  pounds  sterling,  per  annum  each  (estimating 


UFE  AT  MOUNT  TBBKQN.  373 

of  the  chase,  visited  his  friends,  and  received  and  enter- 
tained the  numerous  guests  who  crowded  to  his  hospitar 
ble  mansion.  Indeed,  in  the  retirement  at  Mount  Ver- 
non, from  '83  to  '89,  were  probably  passed  the  very  hap- 
piest days  of  this  great  man's  life.  Glorying  in  the 
emancipation  of  his  country  from  foreign  thraldom;  sur- 
rounded by  many  and  dear  friends;  hailed  with  love 
and  gratitude  by  his  countr3anen  wherever  he  appeared 
among  them ;  receiving  tokens  of  esteem  and  admiration 
from  the  good,  the  gifted,  and  the  great,  of  the  most 
enlightened  nations  in  the  civilized  world ;  engaged  in 
the  pursuits  of  agriculture — pursuits  that  were  always 
most  congenial  to  his  tastes  and  wishes — amid  so  many 
blessings  we  may  well  believe  that  in  the  retirement  at 
Mount  Vernon  Washington  was  happy. 

On  leaving  Annapolis  the  general  was  accompanied 
by  two  .of  the  oflBcers  of  his  former  stafl^  Colonels 
Humphreys"*   and  Smith,f  who  were  a  long  time   at 

dollars  at  4 J6)  the  General,  rather  than  sustain  the  loss  of  Time  necessary  for  com- 
mnnication  would  be  obliged  to  Mr.  Bamney  for  entering  into  proper  obligatory 
articles  of  agreement  on  his  behalf  with  them  and  sending  them  by  the  first  yessel 
bound  to  this  Port  "  Gbo.  WASHiiroTOir. 

"  Mount  Vernon,  July  5, 1784." 

*  David  Humphreys  was  distinguished  as  a  poet  and  soldier.  He  was  bom  at 
Derby,  Connecticut,  in  1 753,  and  was  graduated  at  Yale  college  in  1771 ,  when  he  went 
to  reside  with  Colonel  Fhillipse,  of  Phillipse's  manor,  in  Westchester  county,  Kew 
York,  as  tutor.  He  joined  the  continental  army,  and  in  1 778  became  one  of  General 
Putnam's  aids,  with  the  rank  of  major.  In  1 780  he  entered  the  military  family  of  Wash- 
ington, as  aid  to  the  chief,  and  remained  in  that  position  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
For  his  valor  at  Yorktown,  Congress  presented  him  with  a  sword.  In  1784  he  ac- 
companied Jefferson  to  Paris,  as  secretary  of  legation.  In  1786  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Connecticut  legislature,  and  at  that  time  he  was  associated  with  Joel  Barlow 
in  a  literary  enterprise.  Ho  was  minister  to  Portugal  in  1788.  In  1790,  he  resided  at 
Mount  Vernon  by  invitation  of  Washington,  and  there  wrote  his  life  of  Putnam. 
He  was  appointed  minister  to  Spain  in  1794.  He  returned  to  America  with  a 
wealthy  wife  in  1801,  and  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  agriculture.  He  died 
suddenly  in  1812. 

t  LieutenantpColonel  William  S.  Smith,  of  New  York,  had  been  a  very  active 


874  BECOLLBCTIONS   OP   WASHINGTON. 

Mount  Vemon,  engaged  in  arranging  the  vast  mass  of 
papers  and  documents  that  had  accumulated  during  ^e 
War  for  Independence.  Humphreys  was  a  man  of  letters 
and  a  poet^  and,  together  with  Colonel  Smith,  served  in 
the  staff  of  the  commander-in-chief  on  some  of  the  most 
important  occasions  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  mansion-house,  in  a 
pleasant  and  sheltered  situation,  rose  the  homestead  of 
Bishop,  the  old  body-servant  Thomas  Bishop,  bom  in 
England,  attended  General  Braddock  to  the  Continent 
during  the  seven  years'  war,  and  afterwards  embarked 
with  that  brave  and  unfortunate  commander  for  America, 
in  1775. 

On  the  morning  of  the  ninth  of  July,  the  day  of  the 
memorable  battle  of  the  Monongahela,  Bishop  was  pres- 
ent when  Colonel  Washington  urged  upon  the  English 
general  for  the  last  time  the  propriety  of  permitting  him 
(the  colonel)  to  advance  with  the  Virginia  woodsmen 
and  a  band  of  friendly  Indians,  and  open  the  way  to  Fort 
Duquesne.  Braddock  treated  the  proposal  with  scorn ; 
but,  turning  to  his  faithful  follower,  observed :  "  Bishop, 
this  young  man  is  determined  to  go  into  action  to-day, 
although  he  is  really  too  much  weakened  by  illness  for 
any  such  purpose.  Have  an  eye  to  him,  and  render  him 
any  assistance  that  may  be  necessary."  Bishop  had  only 
time  to  reply,  ^  Your  honor's  orders  shall  be  obeyed," 

young  officer  daring  the  war.  He  was  acting  commissary-general  of  prisoners  for  a 
while,  and  at  the  close  of  hostilities,  he  was  an  associate  commissioner  with  Egbert 
Benson  and  Daniel  Parker,  to  inspect  and  superintend  the  embartcation  of  the  per- 
sons and  property  of  the  loyalists,  who  left  the  city  when  it  was  evacaated  by  the 
British  army.  He  was  at  Mount  Vemon  for  scveml  months,  assisting  Colonel 
Humphreys  in  the  arduous  task  of  arranging  Washington's  military  papers,  and 
until  the  close  of  his  life,  the  chief  regarded  him  with  the  warmth  of  true  friendship. 


UFB  AT  MOUNT  VEBNON.  375 

when  the  troops  were  in  motion  and  the  action  soon  after 
commenced."^ 

Sixty-four  British  officers  were  killed  or  wounded,  and 
Washington  was  the  only  mounted  officer  on  the  field. 
His  horse  being  shot,  Bishop  was  promptly  at  hand  to 
o£fer  him  a  second ;  and  so  exhausted  was  the  youthful 
hero  from  his  previous  illness  and  his  great  exertions  in 
the  battle,  that  he  was  with  difficulty  extricated  from  his 
dying  charger,  and  was  actually  lifted  by  the  strong 
arms  of  Bishop  into  the  saddle  of  the  second  horse. 

It  was  at  this  period  of  the  combat  that,  in  the  glimpses 
of  the  smoke,  the  gallant  colonel  was  seen  bravely  dash- 
ing amid  the  ranks  of  death,  and  calling  on  the  colonial 
woodsmen,  who  alone  maintained  the  fight,  ^Hold  your 
ground,  my  brave  fellows,  and  draw  your  sights  for  the 
honor  of  old  Virginia !"  It  was  at  this  period,  too,  of  the 
battle,  that  the  famed  Indian  commander,  pointing  to 
Washington,  cried  to  his  warriors :  "  Fire  at  him  no  more ; 
see  ye  not  that  the  Great  Spirit  protects  that  chief;  he 
can  not  die  in  battle."f 

His  second  horse  having  fallen,  the  provincial  colonel 
made  his  way  to  the  spot  where  the  commanding-general, 
though  mortally  stricken,  raging  like  a  wounded  lion, 
and  yet  breathing  defiance  to  the  foe,  was  supported  in 
the  arms  of  Bishop.  Braddock  grasped  the  hand  of 
Washington,  exclaiming,  **0h,  my  dear  colonel,  had  I 
been  governed  by  your  advice,  we  never  should  have 
come  to  this!"  When  he  found  his  last  moments  ap- 
proaching, the  British  general  called  his  faithful  and  long- 
tried  follower  and  friend  to  his  side,  and  said,  ^  Bishop, 

*  See  pase  158. 

t  See  chapter  zi.,  page  300. 


376  BECOLLBOnONS  OF  WAflHINefON. 

you  are  getting  too  old  for  war;  I  advise  you  to  remain 
in  America  and  go  into  the  service  of  Colonel  Wasliing- 
ton.  Be  but  as  faithful  to  him  as  you  have  been  to  me, 
and  rely  upon  it  the  remainder  of  your  days  will  be 
prosperous  and  happy."* 

Bishop  took  the  advice  of  his  old  master,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  campaign  returned  with  the  colonel  to  Mount 
Vernon.  As  body-servant,  Bishop  attended  Colonel 
Washington  at  the  time  of  his  marriage,f  and  was  in- 
stalled as  chief  of  the  stables  and  the  equipage  in  Wit 
liamsburg,  in  the  bright  and  pahny  days  of  that  ancient 
capital  Finally,  the  old  body-servant  settled  on  the 
banks  of  the  Potomac,  married,  and  was  made  overseer 
of  one  of  the  farms  of  the  Mount  Yemon  estate. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  Revolutionary  war 
Bishop  was  considered  as  too  old  for  active  service,  and 
was  left  in  charge  of  the  home  establishment,  where  the 
veteran  soldier^s  rigid  discipline  and  strict  attention  to 
everything  committed  to  his  care  caused  affairs  imme* 
diately  relating  to  the  mansion-house  to  be  kept  in  first- 
rate  order.  Upon  the  general's  return  after  the  peace 
of  1783,  the  ancient  body-servant  had  passed  fourscore, 
had  been  relieved  from  all  active  service^  and,  having 
lost  his  wife,  he,  with  his  daughter  and  only  child,  was 
settled  down  in  a  comfortable  homestead  that  had  been 
built  expressly  as  an  asylum  for  his  age. 

*  Braddock  was  borne  from  the  field,  and  carried  away  hj  his  soldiers  in  their 
flight  toward  Fort  Cnmberland.  The  battle  was  fought  on  the  ninth  of  Jaljr,  1755, 
and  on  the  night  of  the  fourteenth  Braddock  expired.  At  a  little  past  midnight 
Washington  read  the  impressire  faneral  services  of  the  Anglican  churchy  over  his 
body,  and  it  was  buried  in  the  road,  so  that  the  Indians  might  not  dbcorer  and 
desecrate  his  graye.  The  place  of  his  burial  may  now  be  soon  between  the  fifty- 
third  and  fifty-fourth  milestone,  on  the  road  from  Cnmberland,  westward. 

t  See  sketch  of  Mdrtha  Wathington, 


UFE  AT  MOTOT  VERNON.  S77 

Altliough  y^ry  infirm^  yet,  when  the  bright  skies  and 
balmy  breath  of  spring  renovated  all  nature,  the  veteran 
soldier  and  faithful  follower  of  two  masters  would  grasp 
his  staff  and  wend  his  way  to  a  spot  by  which  he  knew 
the  general  would  pass  in  taking  his  morning  ride.  As 
Washington  approached,  the  veteran,  by  aid  of  his  staff, 
would  draw  himself  up  to  his  full  height^  and  with  a  right 
soldierly  air  uncover.  A  few  silver  locks  were  scattered 
about  his  temples,  his  visage  was  deeply  furrowed  by  the 
hand  of  time,  while  his  bent  and  shrunken  frame  was 
but  the  shadow  of  a  form  once  so  tall  and  manly.  The 
general  would  rein  up  his  horse  and  kindly  inquire, 
^  How  are  you,  old  man ;  I  am  glad  to  see  you  abroad ; 
is  there  anything  you  want  T  The  veteran  would  re- 
ply: "Good  morning  to  your  honor;  I  am  proud  and 
happy  to  see  your  honor  looking  so  brave  and  hearty, 
I  thank  God  I  am  as  well  as  can  be  expected  at  my 
years.  What  can  I  want  while  in  your  honor's  service  ? 
Whenever  the  choicest  meats  are  killed  for  you  honor's 
own  table,  the  good  lady  will  send  to  old  Bishop  a  part 
God  bless  your  honor,  the  madam,  and  all  your  good 
family !"  Washington  would  continue  his  morning  ride, 
while  the  old  body-servant,  made  happy  by  the  inter- 
view, grasped  his  staff  and  strode  manfully  away  to  his 
comfortable  home. 

Of  the  two  former  aids^e-camp,  now  secretaries,  in 
their  hours  of  relaxation  from  business,  Humphreys  was 
in  the  habit  of  strolling  to  unfrequented  places,  there  to 
recite  his  verses  to  the  echoes.  Smith,  too,  would  take 
the  air  after  the  labors  of  the  writing-desk. 

One  evening  Colonel  Smith  in  his  rambles  came  sud- 
denly upon  the  homestead  of  the  old  body-servant^  whose 


S78  RECOLLECTIONS   OP  WASHINGTON. 

daughter  was  milking  at  a  short  distance  from  the  house. 
She  wa3  a  slightly-built  girl,  and,  in  endeavoring  to  raise 
the  pail,  found  it  too  much  for  her  strength.  Colonel 
Smith  gallantly  stepped  forward,  and  offered  his  services^ 
saying,  «  Do,  miss,  permit  my  strong  arms  to  assist  yoa" 
Now,  the  veteran's  daughter  had  often  heard  from  her 
father  the  most  awful  tales  of  those  sad  fellows,  the 
young,  and  particularly  the  handsome  British  officers, 
and  how  their  attentions  to  a  maiden  must  inevitably  re- 
sult in  her  ruin.  Filled  with  these  ideas.  Miss  Bishop  did 
not  draw  any  line  of  distinction  between  British  and 
American  officers,  and  Smith,  being  a  peculiarly  fine  hand- 
some fellow,  the  milkmaid  threw  down  her  pail  and  ran 
screaming  to  the  house.  The  colonel  followed,  making 
every  possible  apology,  when  suddenly  he  was  brought 
up  all  standing  by  the  appearance  of  the  veteran,  who 
stood,  in  all  his  terrors,  at  the  door  of  his  domiciL  The 
affirighted  girl  ran  into  her  father's  arms,  while  the  old 
body-servant  rated  the  colonel  in  no  measured  terms 
upon  the  enormity  of  the  attempt  to  insult  his  child. 
Poor  Smith,  well  bespattered  by  the  contents  of  the  milk- 
pail,,  in  vain  endeavored  to  excuse  himself  to  the  enraged 
veteran,  who  declared  that  he  would  carry  the  affair  up 
to  his  honor,  aye,  and  to  the  madam,  too.  At  the  men- 
tion of  the  latter  personage  the  unfortimate  colonel  felt 
something  like  an  ague-chill  pass  over  his  frame.  Smith 
in  vain  essayed  to  propitiate  the  old  man  by  assuring 
him  that  the  affair  was  one  of  the  most  common  gallant- 
ry ;  that  his  object  was  to  assist,  and  not  to  insult  the 
damsel  Bishop  replied,  ^Ah!  Colonel  Smith,  I  know 
what  you  dashing  young  officers  are.  I  am  an  old  soldier, 
and  have  seen  some  things  in  my  long  day.     I  am  sure 


LIFE  AT  MOUNT   VERNON.  879 

his  honor,  after  my  services,  will  not  permit  my  child  to 
be  insulted ;  and,  as  to  the  madam,  why  the  madam  as 
good  as  brought  up  my  girl."  So  saying,  the  old  body- 
servant  retired  into  his  castle,  and  closed  the  door. 

The  unfortunate  colonel  wended  his  way  to  the  man- 
sion-house, aware  of  the  scrape  he  had  got  into,  and  pon- 
dering as  to  the  mode  by  which  he  might  be  able  to  get 
out  of  ii  At  length  he  bethought  himself  of  Billy,  the 
celebrated  servant  of  the  commander-in-chief  during  the 
whole  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and  well  known  to 
all  the  officers  of  the  headquarters. 

A  council  of  war  was  held,  and  Billy  expressed  great 
indignation  that  Bishop  should  attempt  to  carry  a  com- 
plaint against  his  friend.  Colonel  Smith,  up  to  the  general, 
and  that  it  was  perfectly  monstrous  that  such  a  tale 
should  reach  the  ears  of  the  madam;  ^but,"  continued 
Billy,  "  that  is  a  terrible  old  fellow,  and  he  has  been  much 
spoiled  on  account  of  his  services  to  the  general  in  Brad- 
dock's  war.  He  even  says  that  we  of  the  Revolutionary 
army  are  but  half  soldiers,  compared  with  the  soldiers 
which  he  served  with,  in  the  outlandish  countries."  Smith 
observed,  ^it  is  bad  enough,  Billy,  for  this  story  to  get  to 
the  general's  ears,  but  to  those  of  the  lady  will  never  do ; 
and  then  there's  Humphreys,  he  will  be  out  upon  me  in 

a  d d  long  poem,  that  will  spread  my  misfortunes 

from  Dan  to  Beersheba."  At  length  the  colonel  deter- 
mined, by  the  advice  of  his  privy  counsel,  to  despatch 
Billy  as  a  special  ambassador,  to  endeavor  to  propitiate 
the  veteran,  or,  at  any  rate,  to  prevent  his  visit  to  the 
mansion-house. 

Meantime  the  old  body-servant  was  not  idle.  He  ran- 
sacked a  large  worm-eaten  trunk,  and  brought  forth  a 


880  BECOLUBCHOirS  OV  WASHINaTON. 

coat  that  had  not  seen  the  light  for  many  long  yeaiB  (it 
was  of  the  cut  and  fashion  of  the  days  of  George  II) ;  then 
a  vest)  and  lasUy  a  hat^  Cumberland  cocked,  with  a  huge 
ribbon  cockade,  that  had  seen  service  in  the  seven  years' 
war.  His  shoes  underwent  a  polish,  and  were  covered  by 
large  silver  buckles.  All  these  accoutrements  being  care- 
fully dusted  and  brushed,  the  veteran  flourished  his  staff 
and  took  up  his  Une  of  march  for  the  mansion-house. 

Billy  met  the  old  soldier  in  full  march,  and  a  parley 
ensued.  Billy  harangued  with  great  force  upon  the  im- 
propriety of  the  veteran's  conduct  in  not  receiving  tibe 
colonel's  apology;  "for,"  continued  the  ambassador,  " my 
friend  Colonel  Smith  is  both  an  ofGlcer  and  a  gentleman ; 
and  then,  old  man,  you  have  no  business  to  have  such  a 
handsome  daughter  (a  grim  snule  passing  over  the  vet- 
eran's countenance  at  this  compliment  to  the  beauty  of 
his  child),  for  you  know  young  fellows  will  be  young 
fellows."  He  continued  by  saying,  it  was  not  to  be 
thought  of  that  any  such  matter  should  reach  the  madam's 
ears,  and  concluded  by  recommending  to  the  veteran  to 
drop  the  afiair  and  return  to  his  home. 

The  old  body-servant,  fully  accoutred  for  his  expedition, 
had  cooled  ofif  a  little  during  his  march.  A  soldierly  re- 
spect for  an  officer  of  Colonel  Smith's  rank  and  standing, 
and  a  fear  that  he  might  carry  the  matter  a  little  too  far, 
determined  him  to  accept  the  colonel's  assurance  that 
there  could  be  no  harm  where  "no  harm  was  intended," 
came  to  the  right-about  and  retraced  his  steps  to  his 
home. 

The  ambassador  returned  to  the  anxious  colonel,  and 
informed  him  that  he  had  met  the  old  fellow,  en  grand 
co^umey  and  in  full  march  for  the  mansion-house,  but 


UFB  AT  MOUNT  VERNON.  881 

that  by  a  powerftd  display  of  eloquence  he  had  brought 
him  to  a  halt^  and  induced  him  to  listen  to  reason^  and 
drop  the  afiair  altogether.  The  ready  guinea  was  quickly 
in  the  ambassador's  pouch,  while  the  gallant  colonel, 
happy  in  his  escape  from  what  might  have  resulted  in  a 
very  unpleasant  affair,  was  careful  to  give  the  homestead 
of  the  old  body-servant  a  good  wide  berth  in  all  future 
rambles. 

The  pleasurable  routine  of  Washington's  life,  in  his 
retirement,  was  a  little  varied  by  his  call  to  the  conven- 
tion of  1787;*  but  in  1788,  when  the  constitution  became 
ratified  by  the  states,f  letters,  addresses,  and  memorials 

*  Before  the  close  of  the  Rerolation,  many  sagacious  minds  perceired  the  ntter 
incompetency  of  the  federil  goverament,  ander  the  proTisions  of  the  Attidet  of  Con- 
federation, to  perform  the  proper  functions  of  supreme  power.  The  doctrine  of 
itate  rights  was  strongly  impressed  upon  the  minds  of  the  people,  and  there  was  a 
growing  jealousy  of  the  assumptions  of  Congress,  even  when  that  body  exercised  its 
legitimate  functions.  To  the  appreciation  of  true  sutesmen  such  as  Washington, 
Hamilton,  Madison,  Jay,  and  others,  there  appeared  a  necessity  for  a  greater  cen- 
tralization of  power,  for  to  a  great  extent  the  people  had  lost  all  regard  for  the  au- 
thority of  Congress.  The  commercial  and  monetary  affairs  of  the  country  were 
wretchedly  deranged,  and  many  felt  serious  apprehensions  of  a  total  failure  of  the 
republican  scheme.  Hamilton,  at  an  early  period,  suggested  a  convention  of 
states  to  consider  and  correct  the  errors  of  the  federal  system  as  it  then  existed ;  and 
finally,  at  the  suggestion  of  Washington,  a  convention  was  called  for  the  purpose, 
at  Annapolis,  in  Maryland.  The  delegates  assembled  in  September,  1786.  Only 
five  states  were  represented.  These  recommended  the  holding  of  another  conven- 
tion in  May  following.  At  that  time  delegates  from  all  the  sutes,  except  New 
Hampshire  and  Rhode  Island,  appeared.  Washington  was  a  delegate  from  Yin^inia, 
and  was  chosen  to  preside.  AUe  statesmen  were  his  associates ;  and  on  the* twelfth 
of  September,  1787,  the  present  Constitution  of  thtf  United  States  (except  a  few 
subsequent  amendments)  was  adopted. 

t  The  federal  Constitution  was  submitted  to  the  people  for  their  approval  or  re- 
jection. Jt  found  many  able  opposers.  State  rights,  sectional  interests,  radical  de- 
mocracy, had  all  numerous  friends,  and  these  stood  firmly  in  the  opposition.  Among 
its  ablest  supporters  with  pen  and  tongue,  was  Alexander  Hamilton,  who  gave  to 
the  worid  most  able  papers  on  government,  to  which  were  added  some  by  Madison 
and  Jay.  These,  in  collected  form,  bear  the  title  of  7%e  Federalitt,  Very  soon 
eleven  of  the  thirteen  states  ratified  the  Constitution.  The  Congress  then  fixed  the 
time  for  the  new  government  to  go  into  operation. 


382  RECOLLBCnONB  OF  WASHKNGTON. 

from  his  compatriots  and  old  companions-in-anns  poured 
in  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  all  praying  him  who  had 
been  "j&rst  in  war"  to  become  *^  first  in  peace"  as  the 
chief  magistrate  of  the  new  government  These  testi- 
monials of  affection  made  deep  impression  upon  the  re- 
tired general,  as  they  showed  him  that  he  stood  "  first 
in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen  " 

In  April,  1789,  the  doors  of  Mount  Vernon  opened  to 
receive,  and  Washington  hastened  to  embrace,  the  ven- 
erable Charles  Thomson,  the  secretary  to  the  continental 
Congress  during  fifleen  consecutive  years.  He  came 
charged  with  the  important  duty  of  announcing  to  the 
retired  general  his  imanimous  election  to  the  office  of 
president  of  the  United  States.  The  tall  attenuated  form, 
the  simple  yet  dignified  manners  of  Secretary  Thom- 
son, made  him  a  most  favored  guest  at  a  board  where 
had  been  welcomed  many  of  the  wise,  the  good,  the 
brave,  and  renowned.* 

*  On  the  sixih  of  April,  1789,  John  Langdon,  president  of  the  United  States 
senate,  pro  tempore,  wrote  an  official  letter  to  Washington,  informing  him  that  he 
had  been  chosen  first  president  of  the  United  States,  with  John  Adams  as  vice-pres- 
ident ;  and  Charles  Thomson,  the  secretary  of  the  continental  Congress,  imme- 
diately proceeded  to  Mount  Vernon  to  bear  to  the  new  officer  the  official  annoanee- 
ment  of  his  election.  The  president  made  immediate  preparations  for  his  joaraej 
to  the  seat  of  government,  then  at  New  York.  He  left  Monnt  Vernon  on  the  six- 
teenth, arrived  at  New  York  on  the  twenty-third,  and  there,  on  the  thirtieth  of  the 
month,  in  the  presence  of  a  vast  concourse  of  people,  he  took  the  solemn  oath  of 
office.  The  old  continental  Congress  had  expired  on  the  fourth  of  March  previously, 
and  the  federal  Constitution  had  become  the  organic  law  of  the  republic. 

Mr.  Secretary  Thomson  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  where  he  was  bom  in  1730.  He 
settled  as  a  teacher  in  Philadelphia,  and  was  honored  with  the  friendship  of  Dr. 
Franklin.  When  the  continental  Congress  convened  in  that  city,  in  1774,  he  had 
just  married  a  young  woman  of  fortune.  He  was  chosen  the  secretary  of  that  body, 
and  held  the  office  fifteen  consecutive  years.  He  died  at  Lower  Merion,  Mont- 
gomery country,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  sixteenth  of  August,  1824,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-four  years. 


LELE  AT  MOUNT  VEBNON.  383 

The  unanimous  election  of  Washington  to  the  chief 
magistracy  of  a  new  empire  by  a  people  who  had  hun- 
gered for  an  opportunity  of  elevating  the  man  of  their 
hearts  to  the  highest  gift  in  their  power  to  bestow,  called 
forth  from  the  chief  acknowledgments  of  profoimd  grati- 
tude. When  he  departed  for  the  seat  of  the  federal 
government,  he  turned  a  last  fond  lingering  look 
upon  his  retired  home,  where  he  had  passed  so  many 
peaceful  and  happy  days  j  upon  his  extensive  circle  of 
friends,  to  whom  he  was  attached  by  many  and  most 
endearing  associations;  upon  his  improvements,  which 
he  had  so  much  delighted  to  rear,  and  which  had  grown 
up  to  useful  and  ornamental  maturity  under  his  fostering 
hand ;  he  bade  adieu  to  them  all,  and  hastened  to  obey 
the  call  of  his  country. 


384  REOOLLBCnOKB   OF  WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

WASHmaTON  AB  A    SPORTSBiAN. 

WiJHXlfOTOK  FOKD  Or  Tm  ClIASB— HB  was  hot  a  XKRK  BnOOTSB  AVD  FOHlBMAir— 
fixTVATtOir  AKD  CHAKACnK  OF  HIS  KbHITBL  —  SaLSOtlOlT  Of  DIB  DoM^Hlt  BtORIVO 
FSIKHDft  — HU  COflTVMB  -VTEXK  BMOAABD  IH  TH>  GhABK  —  PbUBXT  Of  Hovns  VBOM  LA* 
VATBTTB  — TBXIX  SaTAOB  NATirBB  ~  WASniXOTOH  OH  HOBSXBAOX  — HB  FaTOBITB  HoBSB 

BOB  TUB  Chasb— Hn  t>ABi3ro— Thb  Faxovs  Black  Fox— In  ■urpono  Xxybbhai.  Bb- 
LATioHSniP— Bobbbbt  bt  ohb  or  TOB  Fbbhch  Boot— WABHXHOTOH'ft  Last  Hitht— Hb 

OXVBB  A-VTAT  BIS  DOOS  — DBBB  PaXX  —  DiBPBBSIOir  OW   TBB   DbBB  ~  POACHBBB  — '  OOHBBBT 

TO  Hmn— AuTHOB  or  tbxsb  Bboollbotiohb  oh  a  Huht  roB  a  Buck  — Hn  Bvocbbb  — 
TnB  Ybhiioh  Dinhbb  at  Mouht  Ybbhoh  —  Ahtlbbs  or  tiIb  Wasbihotoh  Bta». 

The  time  which  Colonel  Washington  could  spare  from 
his  building  and  agricultural  improvements  between  the 
years  1759  and  1774,  was  considerably  devoted  to  the 
pleasures  of  the  chase.  We  have  neither  knowledge  nor 
tradition  of  his  having  ever  been  a  shooter  or  a  fisher- 
man :  fox-hunting  being  of  a  bold  and  animating  charac- 
ter, suited  well  with  the  temperament  of  the  "lusty 
prime"  of  his  age,  and  peculiarly  well  accorded  with  his 
fondness  and  predisposition  for  equestrian  exercises. 

His  kennel  was  situated  about  a  hundred  yards  south 
of  the  family  vault  in  which  at  present  repose  his  venei^ 
ated  remains.*  The  building  was  a  rude  structure,  but 
afforded  comfortable  quarters  for  the  hounds;  with  a 

*  This  was  first  pablished  in  ITie  American  Twrf  RegitUr  and  Sporting  Magazuu, 
on  the  twenty-ninth  of  September,  1 829.    At  that  time  the  remains  of  Washington 
were  in  the  old  raalt,  upon  the  summit  of  the  river  bank,  a  few  rods  from  the  lawv 
and  abont  half  way  between  the  mansion  and  the  tomb  wherein  thej  now  repose 
These  remains  were  re-entombed  in  the  autnmn  of  1837. 


WASHmOTON  AS  A   SPORTBBIAN.  885 

large  enclosure  paled  in^  having  in  the  midst  a  spring  of 
running  water.  The  pack  was  very  numerous  and  select^ 
the  colonel  visiting  and  inspecting  his  kennel  morning 
and  evening,  after  the  same  manner  as  he  did  his  stables."^ 
It  was  his  pride  (and  a  proof  of  his  skill  in  hunting)  to 
have  his  pack  so  critically  drafted,  as  to  speed  and  bottom, 
that  in  running,  if  one  leading  dog  should  lose  the  scent, 
another  was  at  hand  immediately  to  recover  it,  and  thus 
when  in  full  cry,  to  use  a  racing  phrase,  you  might  cover 
the  pack  with  a  blanket 

During  the  season,  Moimt  Vernon  had  many  sporting 
guests  firom  the  neighborhood,  from  Maryland,  and  else- 
where. Their  visits  were  not  of  days,  but  weeks ;  and 
they  were  entertained  in  the  good  old  style  of  Virginia's 
ancient  hospitality.  Washington,  always  superbly  mount- 
ed, in  true  sporting  costume,  of  blue  coat,  scarlet  waist- 
coat, buckskin  breeches,  top  boots,  velvet  cap,  and  whip 
with  long  thong,  took  the  field  at  daybreak,  with  his 
huntsman.  Will  Lee,  his  fiiends  and  neighbors ;  and  none 
rode  more  gallantly  in  the  chase,  nor  with  voice  more 
cheerily  awakened  echo  in  the  woodland,  than  Jie  who 
was  afterwards  destined,  by  voice  and  example,  to  cheer 
his  countrymen  in  their  glorious  struggle  for  indepen- 
dence and  empire.  Such  was  the  hunting  establishment 
at  Mount  Vernon  prior  to  the  Revolution. 

We  come  now  to  events  of  our  own  times.    After  the 


*  Washington  kept  a  register  of  his  horses  and  his  hounds,  in  which  might  he 
foand  the  names,  ages,  and  marks  of  each ;  and  with  these,  his  companions  of  the 
chase,  he  was  as  pnnctoal  in  his  attentions  as  to  anj  other  business  of  his  life. 
Among  the  names  of  his  horses  were  those  of  Chinkling,  Valiant,  Ajax,  Magnolia, 
Blueskin,  et  cetera.  Magnolia  was  a  full-blooded  Arabian,  and  was  used  for  the 
saddle  upon  the  road.  Among  the  names  of  his  hounds  were  Vulcan,  Ringwood, 
Singer,  Tmelove,  Music,  Sweetlips,  Forrester,  Bockwood,  et  cetera. 

25 


386  BBOOLLnmoKfl  or  WASBniGTOir. 

peace  of  1788,  the  hunting  establishment^  which  had 
gone  down  during  die  war,  was  renewed  by  the  andval 
of  a  pack  of  French  honnds,  sent  out  by  the  Marquis  de 
Lafityetta    These  ehiens  de  cAasse  were  of  great  siaoe — 

"Bred  oat  of  the  Spartan  kind,  to  flowed,  lo  aandod. 
With  ean  that  swept  away  the  morning  dew,  dewku'd 
Like  the  Salonian  bolls,  matched  in  month  like  bells" — 

the  bells  of  Moscow,  and  great  Tom  of  Lincoln,  we  should 
say,  and,  from  their  strength,  were  fitted,  not  only  to  pull 
down  the  stately  stag,  but  in  combat  to  encounter  Ihe 
wolf  or  boar,  or  even  to  grapple  with  the  lordly  lion 
These  hounds,  from  their  fierce  dispositions,  were  gen- 
erally kept  confined,  and  wo  to  the  stranger  who  mi^t 
be  passing  their  kennel  after  night-fall,  should  the  gates 
be  unclosed.  His  fate  would  be  melancholy,  unless  he 
could  climb  some  friendly  tree,  or  the  voice  or  the  whip 
of  the  huntsman  came  ^  speedily  to  the  rescue."  The 
himtsman  always  presided  at  their  meals,  and  it  was  only 
by  the  liberal  application  of  the  whip-thong  that  any- 
thing like  order  could  be  preserved  among  these  savages 
of  the  chase. 

The  habit  was  to  hunt  three  times  a  week,  weather 
permitting ;  breakfast  was  served,  on  these  mornings,  at 
candle-light,  the  general  always  breaking  his  fast  with 
an  Indian-corn  cake  and  a  bowl  of  milk ;  and,  ere  the 
cock  had  ^  done  salutation  to  the  mom,"  the  whole  caval- 
cade would  often  have  left  the  house,  and  the  fox  be  fire- 
quently  unkennelled  before  sunrise.  Those  who  have 
seen  Waskinffton  on  horseback  will  admit  that  he  was  one 
of  the  most  accomplished  of  cavaliers  in  the  true  sense 
and  perfection  of  the  character.  He  rode,  as  he  did 
everything  else,  with  ease,  elegance,  and  with   power. 


WASmNOTOK  A8  A  BPOBTBBIAK.  387 

The  vicious  propensities  of  horses  were  of  no  moment  to 
this  skilful  and  daring  rider !  He  always  said  that  he 
required  but  one  good  quality  in  a  horse^  to  go  aJongy  and 
ridiculed  the  idea  of  its  being  even  possible  that  he 
should  be  unhorsed^  provided  the  animal  kept  on  his  legs. 
Indeed  the  perfect  and  sinewy  frame  of  the  admirable 
man  gave  him  such  a  surpassing  grip  with  his  knees, 
that  a  horse  might  as  soon  disencumber  itself  of  the  sad- 
dle as  of  such  a  rider.  * 

The  general  usually  rode  in  the  chase  a  horse  called 
Bbteskm,  of  a  dark  iron-gray  color,  approaching  to  blue. 
This  was  a  fine  but  fiery  animal,  and  of  great  endurance 
in  a  long  run.  Will,  the  huntsman,  better  known  in  Bev- 
olutionary  lore  as  Billy,  rode  a  horse  called  (Mviklmg^  a 
surprising  leaper,  and  made  very  much  like  its  rider,  low, 
but  sturdy,  and  of  great  bone  and  muscle.  Will  had  but 
one  order,  which  was  to  keep  with  the  hounds;  and, 
mounted  on  OUnkUng,  a  French  horn  at  his  back,  throw- 
ing himself  almost  at  length  on  the  animal,  with  his  spur 
in  flank,  this  fearless  horseman  would  rush,  at  full  speed, 
through  brake  or  tangled  wood,  in  a  style  at  which 
modem  huntsmen  would  stand  aghast.  There  were 
roads  cut  through  the  woods  in  various  directions^  by 
which  aged  and  timid  hunters  and  ladies  could  enjoy  the 
exhilirating  cry,  without  risk  of  life  or  limb ;  but  Wash- 
ington rode  gaily  up  to  his  dogs,  through  all  the  difficul- 
ties and  dangers  of  the  ground  on  which  he  hunted,  nor 
spared  his  generous  steed,  as  the  distended  nostrils  of 
Bbieskin  often  would  show.  He  was  always  in  at  the 
death,  and  yielded  to  no  man  the  honor  of  the  brush. 

The  foxes  hunted  fifty  years  ago  were  gray  foxes,  with 
one  exception ;  this  was  a  famous  black  fox,  which,  dif- 


388  BBOOLLBCnONS  OF  WASHINGTOlf. 

fering  from  his  brethren  of  ^orders  gray/'  would  flomiflh 
his  brush,  set  his  pursuers  at  defiance,  and  go  from  ten 
to  twenty  miles  an  end,  distancing  both  dogs  and 
men ;  and  what  was  truly  remarkable,  would  return  to 
his  place  of  starting  on  the  same  night,  so  as  always  to 
be  found  there  the  ensuing  morning.  After  seven  or 
eight  severe  runs,  without  success,  Billy  recommended 
that  the  black  reynard  should  be  let  alone,  giving  it  as 
his  opinion,  that  he  was  very  near  akin  to  another  sable 
character,  inhabiting  a  lower  region,  and  as  remarkable 
for  his  wiles.  The  advice  was  adopted  fix>m  necessity, 
and  ever  thereafter,  in  throwing  off  the  hounds,  care  was 
taken  to  avoid  the  haunt  of  the  unconquerable  black 

The  chase  ended,  the  party  would  return  to  the  man- 
sion-house, where,  at  the  well-spread  board,  and  with 
cheerful  glass,  the  feats  of  the  leading  dog,  the  most  gal- 
lant horse,  or  the  boldest  rider,  together  with  the  prowess 
of  the  famed  black  fox,  were  all  discussed,  while  Wash- 
ington, never  permitting  even  his  pleasures  to  infringe 
upon  the  order  and  regularity  of  his  habits,  would,  after 
a  few  glasses  of  Madeira,  retire  to  his  bed  supperless  at 
nine  o'clock.  He  always  took  a  little  tea  and  toast  be- 
tween six  and  seven  in  the  evening. 

Of  the  French  hoimds,  there  was  one  named  Vvieaxiy 
and  we  bear  him  the  better  in  reminiscence,  from  having 
often  bestrid  his  ample  back  in  the  days  of  our  juvenility. 
It  happened  that  upon  a  large  company  sitting  down  to 


*  The  rod  fox  ia  sappoMd  to  have  been  imported  from  EngUod,  to  the  eastern 
shore  of  Maryland,  by  a  Mr.  Smith,  and  to  have  emigrated  across  the  ice  to  Vir- 
ginia, in  the  hard  winter  of  1779-80,  when  the  Chesapeake  was  finosen  orer.— i^^ 
6y  iJht  Author, 


WASHINGTON  AS  A  SPOBTSBfAN.  389 

dinner  at  Mount  Vernon  one  day^  the  lady  of  the  mansion 
(my  grandmother)  discovered  that  the  ham,  the  pride  of 
every  Virginia  housewife's  table,  was  missing  from  its 
accustomed  post  of  honor.  Upon  questioning  Frank,  the 
butler,  this  portly,  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  polite 
and  accomplished  of  all  butlers,  observed  that  a  ham,  yes, 
a  very  fine  ham,  had  been  prepared,  agreeably  to  the 
Madam's  orders,  but  lo  and  behold !  who  should  come  into 
the  kitchen,  while  the  savory  ham  was  smoking  in  its 
dish,  but  old  Vulcatiy  the  hound,  and  without  more  ado 
fastened  his  &ng8  into  it;  and  although  they  of  the 
kitchen  had  stood  to  such  arms  as  they  could  get,  and 
had  fought  the  old  spoiler  desperately,  yet  Vulcan  had 
finally  triumphed,  and  bore  oflF  the  prize,  ay,  "  cleanly, 
under  the  keeper's  nose."  The  lady  by  no  means  relished 
the  loss  of  a  dish  which  formed  the  pride  of  her  table, 
and  uttered  some  remarks  by  no  means  favorable  to  old 
VukaUy  or  indeed  to  dogs  in  general,  while  the  chief, 
having  heard  the  story,  communicated  it  to  his  guests, 
and,  with  them,  laughed  heartily  at  the  exploit  of  the 


Washington's  last  himt  with  his  hounds,  was  in  1785. 
His  private  afiairs  and  public  business  required  too  much 
of  his  time  to  allow  him  to  indulge  in  field  sports.  His 
fondness  for  agricultural  improvements,  and  the  number 
of  visiters  that  crowded  Mount  Vernon,  induced  him  to 
break  up  his  kennels,  to  give  away  his  hoimds,  and  to 
bid  a  final  adieu  to  the  pleasures  of  the  chase.  He  then 
formed  a  deer-park  below  the  mansion-house,  extending 
to  the  river,  and  enclosing  by  a  high  paling  about  a  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  The  park  was  at  first  stocked  with 
only  the  native  deer,  to  which  was  afterwards  added  the 


S90  RBOOUjacnoNs  of  wASHmaTOM. 

English  fallow  deer,  firom  the  pork  of  Governor  Ogle,  of 
Maryland* 

The  stock  of  deer  increased  very  rapidly,  yet^  strange 
to  say,  although  herding  together,  there  never  was  per- 
ceptible the  slightest  admixture  of  the  two  races. 

On  the  decay  of  the  park  paling,  and  the  dispersion 
of  the  deer  over  the  estate,  as  many  as  fifteen  or  twenty 
were  often  to  be  seen  in  a  herd. 

The  general  was  extremely  tenacious  of  his  game,  and 
would  suffer  none  to  be  killed,  till,  being  convinced  that 
the  poachers  were  abroad,  that  the  larder  of  an  extensive 
hotel  in  a  neighboring  town  was  abundantly  supplied 
with  plump  haunches  from  the  Mount  Vernon  stock,  and 
indeed  that  every  one  seemed  to  be  enjoying  his  venison 
but  himself,  he  at  length  consented  that  ^  a  stag  should 
die." 

One  morning  I  was  summoned  to  receive  his  orders  for 
hunting.  They  were  given  as  follows:  *^Becollect,  sir, 
that  you  are  to  fire  with  ball,  to  use  no  hounds^  and  on  no 
accoimt  to  kill  any  but  an  old  buck."  Charmed  with  a 
permission  so  long  coveted,  and  at  last  obtained,  we  pre- 
pared for  the  field.  Determined  to  make  a  sure  shot,  we 
discarded  the  rifle  in  favor  of  an  old  British  musket,  of  the 
fashion  and  time  of  George  11. — a  heavy,  black,  ill-favored 
looking  piece,  but  capable  of  carrying  two  balls,  each  of 
an  ounce  weighty  and  famed  for  hitting  hard  behind  as  well 
as  before.  Thus  equipped,  and  with  a  goodly  array  of 
drivers,  and  dogs  of  various  sorts,  we  repaired  to  the 
haunt  of  a  celebrated  old  buck,  considered  as  the  patriarch 
of  the  herd. 

*  Saroael  Ogle  was  goTornor  of  Maryland  at  three  different  times,  namelj,  in 
1732,  1737,  and  1747. 


WAsaismm  ab  a  bfortsican.  391 

^Bousing  him  up  from  Jhis  lair/'  the  woods  echoed 
with  the  shouts  of  the  huntsmen  and  the  cries  of  the 
dogs,  while  the  noble  buck,  crashing  through  the  under- 
growth, seemed  to  bid  defiance  to  his  pursuers.  The  loud 
report  of  the  musket  was  now  added  to  the  uproar  in  the 
wood,  and,  it  being  evident  from  hunter's  signs  that  the 
game  was  hit^  it  only  remained  to  mount  and  pursue. 

The  ^  stricken  deer"  always  seeks  the  water  as  a  refuge 
from  the  dogs :  in  this  instance,  a  meke  of  hunters,  horses, 
dogs,  and  deer  rushed  into  the  waters  of  the  Potomac  at 
the  same  time,  the  huntsmen  laying  lustily  about  them  to 
prevent  the  dogs  from  breaking  up  the  wounded  stag, 
that^  after  a  gallant  struggle,  yielded  up  his  life,  and  was 
carried  in  triumph  to  the  mansion-house,  there  to  await 
the  master's  inspection. 

Pimctual  as  the  hand  of  the  clock,  at  a  quarter  to  three 
the  general  arrived  from  his  morning  ride.  Upon  his 
dismounting,  we  announced  that  a  fine  buck  had  been 
shot  *^  Ah,  well ! "  he  replied,  ^  let 's  see,"  and  strode  along 
to  the  Locust  grove,  to  which  we  led  the  way — ay,  and 
manly  was  that  stride,  although  he  was  then  in  the  sixty- 
eighth  year  of  his  age.  He  examined  the  deer,  that  had 
been  triced  up  to  a  tree,  and  observing  the  frosted  front  of 
the  antlered  monarch  of  the  herd,  he  became  convinced 
that  his  orders  had  been  obeyed  to  the  very  letter;  he  gave 
a  nod  of  approbation,  and  retired  to  his  room  to  dress,  as 
was  his  custom,  before  the  second  bell  for  dinner. 

The  carcass  of  the  Washington  Stag,  ailer  being 
trimmed  according  to  hunter's  fashion  —  that  is,  the 
neck,  hocks,  and  oflFal  parts  removed — weighed  one 
hundred  and  forty-six  pounds. 

The  next  day,  several  guests  having  assembled,  the 


892  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

haunch  was  served  up  in  ihe  ^unilj  dining-room  at  Mount 

Vernon ;  and  of  the  venison  it  may  of  a  truth  be  said 

that  — 

"  Finer  or  fatter 

Was  ne'er  carved  at  a  board,  or  smoked  on  a  platter." 

We  have  killed  many  a  brave  deer  since  the  days  of 
1799,  but  none  have  left  an  impression  on  the  memory 
or  the  heart  like  that  of  the  Washington  Stag,  that  was 
killed  by  Washington's  special  order,  that  was  served  at 
his  board,  and  on  which  he  fed  in  the  last,  the  very  last 
year  of  his  glorious  life  * 

*  The  anden  of  this  famous  back  may  still  be  seen  at  Ariington  House,  when 
they  grace  the  great  hall,  and  are  labelled,  in  the  handwriting  of  the  sportsman  who 
killed  the  owner,  "The  Washington  Stag." 


THE  FDtST  YEAK  OF  THE  PBESIDENGT.  893 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE   FIRST   YEAB   OF  THE  PRESIDENC7. 

Imav«vkatioh  or  WASimroTOiv— His  Plaox  orSaBn>XH<n  or  Nkv  Tobx— HisFahxlt— 
Tds  Ouxstb  at  thb  Pmmi>x]rT*ft  Housb— Hn  Lsyisb  — Mas.  Wabhihgtom'*  DxAinxa- 
Boom— Ax  AodDXXT— Washihotoh  jlh  Eaxlt  BnsB— Hn  Stabub  in  Nkv  Tobk  ajxd 
Philadklphia— ToB  Tbbatbb  xk  Nr«r  Yobk— Sbtbbb  Illxbss  of  thb  Pbbbxdbztt— Hxb 

BbOOTXBT  — HB    EaSTBBIT    ToUB— WaSHIXOTOB'8    PbXTATB    SBOBBTABZBB  —  AirBODOTB   OF 

HininiBXTB— Thb  Pbbsxsxbt  onAHOxs  nn  BxsxDBiroB— Dbpabtubb  fbom  Nbw  Tobk— 

AtXBXPT  to  LbAYB  PbITATXLT  — a  PTrBUODB]fOir8TBATXOir--PBOOBB88  to  Pini.ADBX.PHXA 

— Bbtolutxohabt  Ybtbbaii^— ThbPbbszi>bht*bBbobptioh  xxr  Philaoblfhia— HbYxutb 
MouBT  Ybbkon. 

On  the  30th  of  April,  1789,  the  Constitutional  Govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  began,  by  the  inaugiu:ation  of 
George  Washington  as  President  of  the  United  States,  in 
the  city  of  New  York  * 

*  The  president,  as  we  hare  obserred  in  a  note  on  page  382,  left  hia  home  for 
New  York  on  the  sixteenth,  and  was  everywhere  receired  on  his  joamey  with  the 
greatest  demonstrations  of  affection.  At  Trenton,  where  he  entered  New  Jersey,  his 
reception  was  peculiar  and  gratifying.  It  was  arranged  entirely  by  the  ladies,  in 
which,  as  has  been  already  observed,  Mrs.  Stockton,  the  widow  of  one  of  the  signers 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  participated.  Upon  Trenton  bridge  they  caused 
to  be  erected  an  arch,  which  they  adorned  with  lanrel  leaves  and  flowers  from  the 
forests  and  their  hot-honses,  and  the  first  spring  contributions  from  their  gardens. 
Upon  the  crown  of  the  arch,  in  large  letters,  formed  of  leaves  and  flowers,  were  the 
words  '*  December  26th,  1776;"  and  on  the  sweep  beneath  was  the  sentence,  also 
formed  of  flowers,  "  The  Defender  of  the  Mothers  will  be  the  Protector  of  the 
Daughters."  Beneath  this  arch  the  president  elect  was  obliged  to  pass  on  entering 
Trenton.  There  he  was  met  by  a  troop  of  females.  On  one  side  a  row  of  little 
girls  dressed  in  white,  and  each  bearing  a  basket  of  flowers,  were  arranged ;  on  the 
other  side  stood  a  row  of  young  ladies  similarly  arrayed,  and  behind  them  were  the 
married  ladies.  The  moment  Washington  and  his  suite  approached  the  arch,  the 
little  girls  began  to  strew  flowers  in  the  road,  and  the  whole  company  of  the  fair  sang 
the  following  ode,  written  for  the  occasion  by  Governor  Howell : — 


S94  KECOLLfiCnOHB  OF  WASHINGTON. 

In  the  then  limited  extent  and  improvement  of  the 
citj;  there  was  some  difficulty  in  selecting  a  mansion  for 
^  the  residence  of  the  chief  magistrate,  and  a  household 
suitable  to  his  rank  and  station.  Osgood's  house,  a  manr 
sion  of  very  moderate  extent,  was  at  length  fixed  upon, 
situated  in  Cherry  street*  There  the  president  became 
domiciled.  His  domestic  family  consisted  of  Mra  Wash- 
ington, the  two  adopted  children,f  Mr.  Lear,};  as  principal 
secretary,  Colonel  Humphreys,§  with  Messrs.  Lewis  and 
Nelson,!!  secretaries,  and  Major  William  Jackson  aid-de- 
camp.^ 

"  Welcome,  mightj  chief,  once  more 
Welcome  to  this  grateful  shore. 
Now  DO  meroenaij  foe 
Aims  again  the  fiUal  blow — 
Aims  at  Thee  the  fatal  blow. 

"  Villus  fair  and  matrons  grare, 
Those  thy  conqnering  arm  did  save, 
Baild  for  Thee  tiiamphal  bowers. 
Strew,  ye  fair,  his  way  with  flowers — 
Strew  yoar  Hero's  way  with  flowers  I" 
Washington  anired  in  New  York  on  the  twenty-third  of  April,  and  took  the  oath 
of  office,  administered  to  him  on  the  balcony  of  the  old  Federal  Hall,  in  Wall  ftreet, 
by  Robert  R.  Livingston,  then  chancellor  of  the  state. 

*  This  was  No.  10  Cheny  stroet,  a  few  doors  from  Franklin  iqvan.  When, 
afterward,  the  houses  upon  Franklin  square,  constituting  a  point  at  the  jnnctioa  oi 
Pearl  and  Cherry  streets,  were  removed,  the  former  southern  side  of  the  mansion 
fronted  on  the  square,  and  so  remained  until  its  demolition,  in  1856.  Views  of  this 
house,  as  it  appeared  just  before  its  destruction,  to  make  way  for  finer  buildings, 
may  be  seen  in  Valentine's  Manual  of  the  Common  CouneU  of  New  York,  1857. 

t  Eleanor  Paike  and  Geoige  Washington  Parke  Onstis.  Mr.  Cnstis  (the  anthor 
of  these  RecoUecHons)  was  then  eight  years  of  age. 

X  Tobias  Lear,  who  was  a  member  of  Washington's  family  at  the  time  of  (hat 
great  man's  death. 
4  Colonel  David  Humphreys,  a  sketch  of  whom  is  given  elsewhere. 
II  The  former  was  a  nephew  of  Washington,  and  the  latter  was  a  son  of  Governor 
Nelson,  of  Virginia. 

T  Major  Jackson  was  a  great  favorite  in  Washington's  family.  He  and  Mr.  Lear 
always  walked  out  with  the  president;  and  he  accompanied  Washington  in  his: 
eastern  and  southern  tours,  made  during  his  presidency.    His  wife,  a  dnagfatw  of 


THE  FIRST  YEAR   OF  TBOB  PRESIDEKOT.  395 

Persons  visiting  the  house  in  Cherry  street  at  this  time  ^ 
of  day,  will  wonder  how  a  building  so  small  could  contain 
the  many  and  mighty  spirits  that  thronged  its  halls  in** 
olden  days.*  Congress,  cabinet,  all  public  functionaries 
in  the  commencement  of  the  government,  were  selected 
from  the  very  elite  of  the  nation.  Pure  patriotism,  com- 
manding talent,  eminent  services,  were  the  proud  and 
indispensable  requisites  for  official  station  in  the  first  days 
of  the  republic.  The  first  Congress  was  a  most  enlight- 
ened and  dignified  body.  In  the  senate  were  several  of 
the  members  of  the  Congress  of  1776,  and  signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  —  Richard  Henry  Lee,  who 
moved  the  Declaration,  John  Adams,  who  seconded  it, 
with  Sherman,  Morris,  Carroll,  etc.f  y^ 

The  levees  of  the  first  president  were  attended  by 
these  illustrious  men,  and  by  many  others  of  the  patriots, 
statesmen,  and  soldiers,  who  could  say  of  the  Revolution, 
'^  magna  pars  fvi  ;'  while  numbers  of  foreigners  and  stran- 
gers of  distinction  crowded  to  the  seat  of  the  general 
government,  all  anxious  to  witness  the  grand  experiment 
that  was  to  determine  how  much  rational  liberty  man- 
kind is  capable  of  enjoying,  without  that  liberty  degen- 
erating into  licentiousness. 

Mrs.  Washington's  drawing-rooms,  on  Friday  nights, 

Thomas  Willing,  of  Philadelphia,  survived  him  a  great  many  years,  and  died  recent- 
ly, at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years. 

*  This  was  first  published  in  the  National  Intelligencer,  on  the  twenty-third  of 
February,  1847. 

t  Roger  Sherman,  of  Connecticut,  Bobert  Morris  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Charles 
Carroll,  of  Maryland  were  all  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  were 
members  of  Congress  during  Washington's  first  administration.  Carroll  was  the 
last  survivor  of  the  glorious  band  of  fifty-six  who  signed  that  great  manifesto.  He 
died  in  1832,  in  the  ninety-sixth  year  of  his  age. 


396  BBOOLLBCnONB  OF   WASHINGTON. 

were  attended  by  the  grace  and  beauty  of  New  York* 
On  one  of  these  occasions  an  incident  occurred  which 
might  have  been  attended  by  serious  consequences. 
Owing  to  the  lowness  of  the  ceiling  in  the  drawing-room, 
the  ostrich  feathers  in  the  head-dress  of  Miss  Mclvers,  a 
belle  of  New  York,  took  fire  fix>m  the  chandelier,  to  the 
no  small  alarm  of  the  company.f  Major  Jackson,  aid-de- 
camp to  the  president,  with  great  presence  of  mind,  and 
equal  gaUantry,  flew  to  the  rescue  of  the  lady,  and,  by 
clapping  the  burning  plumes  between  his  hands,  extin* 
guished  the  flame,  and  the  drawing-room  went  on  as 
usual 

Washington  preserved  the  habit,  as  well  in  public  as 
in  private  life,  of  rising  at  four  o'clock,  and  retiring  to 
bed  at  nine.  On  Saturdays  he  rested  somewhat  fix>m  his 
labors,  by  either  riding  into  the  country,  attended  by  a 
groom,  or  with  his  family  in  his  coach  drawn  by  six 
horses. 

Fond  of  horses,  the  stables  of  the  president  were 
always  in  the  finest  order,  and  his  equipage  excellent, 
both  in  taste  and  quality.  Indeed,  so  long  ago  as  the 
days  of  the  vice-regal  coin-t  of  Lord  Botetourt  at  Wil- 
liamsburg, in  Virginia,  we  find  that  there  existed  a 
rivalry  between  the  equipages  of  Colonel  Byrd,  a  mag- 

*  Washington's  levees  were  held  on  Tuesday,  and  Mrs.  Washington's  drawing- 
rooms  on  Friday  erenings.  In  bis  diary,  in  the  aatamn  of  1789  and  the  winter  of 
1790,  Washington  often  makes  a  simple  record,  thos,  on  Fridays — "  The  risiters 
this  evening  to  Mrs.  Washington  were  respectable,  both  of  gentlemen  and  ladies." 
"  The  Tisiten  to  Mrs.  Washington  this  afternoon  were  not  numerous,  but  respec^ 
able." — **  In  the  evening,  a  great  number  of  ladies  and  many  gentlemen  visited  Mrs. 
Washington." 

t  This  was  Miss  Mary  M'lvers,  who  was  married  at  about  that  time,  to  the  late 
Edward  Livingston,  author  of  the  Louisiana  code,  and  American  minister  at  the 
French  court. 


/ 


THE  HRflT  YBAR  OP  THE  PKESIDENOT.  397 

nate  of  the  old  regime^  and  Colonel  Washington,  the 
grays  against  the  bays.  Bishop,  the  celebrated  body- 
servant  of  Braddock,  was  the  master  of  Washington's 
stables.  And  there  were  what  was  termed  nrnlin  horses 
in  those  old  days.  At  cock-crow  the  stable-boys  were  at 
work ;  at  sunrise  Bishop  stalked  into  the  stables,  a  mus- 
lin handkerchief  in  his  hand,  which  he  applied  to  the 
coats  of  the  animals,  and,  if  the  slightest  stain  was  per- 
ceptible upon  the  muslin,  up  went  the  luckless  wights 
\  of  the  stable-boys,  and  punishment  was  administered  in- 
'\  stanter;  for  to  the  veteran  Bishop,  bred  amid  the  iron 
discipline  of  European  armies,  mercy  for  anything  like 
a  breach  of  duty  was  altogether  out  of  the  question. 

The  president's  stables  in  Philadelphia  were  under  the 
direction  of  German  John,  and  the  grooming  of  the 
white  chargers  will  rather  surprise  the  modems.  The 
night  before  the  horses  were  expected  to  be  ridden  they 
were  covered  entirely  over  with  a  paste,  of  which  whiting 
was  the  principal  component  part;  then  the  animals 
were  swathed  in  body-cloths,  and  left  to  sleep  upon  clean 
straw.  In  the  morning  the  composition  had  become 
hard,  was  well  rubbed  in,  and  curried  and  brushed,  which 
process  gave  to  the  coats  a  beautiful,  glossy,  and  satin- 
like appearance.  The  hoofs  were  then  blacked  and 
polished,  the  mouths  washed,  teeth  picked  and  cleaned ; 
and,  the  leopard-skin  housings  being  properly  adjusted, 
the  white  chargers  were  led  out  for  service.  Such  was 
the  grooming  of  ancient  times.f 

*  Colonel  Byrd,  of  Westoyer,  son  of  Colonel  WilliAm  Byrd,  some  of  whose  let- 
ten  are  printed  in  the  Memoir  of  Mr.  Costis,  in  another  part  of  this  Yolnme. 

t  Washington's  stables  in  Philadelphia,  were  npon  a  narrow  lane,  now  called 
Miner  street,  below  Sixth.  There  he  had  ten  fine  bays  and  two  white  chargers. 
Samuel  Breck,  Esq..  now  [Jnly,  1859,]  eighty-eight  years  of  age,  informed  me  a 


398  BECOLLECnONS   OF  WASHHraKEON* 

It  was  while  residing  in  Cherry  street  that  the  presi- 
dent was  attacked  by  a  severe  iUness,  that  required 
a  surgical  operation.  He  was  attended  by  the  elder 
and  younger  Drs.  Bard.  The  elder  being  somewhat 
doubtful  of  his  nerves,  gave  the  knife  to  his  son,  bidding 
him  *^ cut  away — deeper,  deeper  still;  don't  be  afraid; 
you  see  how  well  he  bears  it"  Great  anxiety  was  felt 
in  New  York  at  this  time,  as  the  president's  case  was 
considered  extremely  dangerous.  Happily,  the  operation 
proved  successful,  and  the  patient's  recovery  removed  all 
cause  of  alarm.  During  the  illness  a  chain  was  stretched 
across  the  street,  and  the  sidewalks  were  laid  with  straw.* 
Soon  after  his  recovery,  the  president  set  out  on  his  in- 
tended tour  through  the  New  England  states.f 

few  weeks  since,  that  when  a  yonn^  nian,  he  often  visited  those  stables,  with  his 
friends  from  other  places,  to  show  them  Washington's  horses.  These  constituted 
one  of  the  most  attractive  "  lions"  of  Philadelphia.  He  had  frequentlj  seen  Wash' 
ington  and  his  family  riding  in  his  beautiful  cream-<H>lored  Englbh  coach,  with  six 
of  these  shining  bay  horses  before  it. 

*  His  disease  was  a  malignant  carbuncle,  which,  at  one  time,  seemed  to  be  incura^ 
ble,  as  mortification  was  continually  threatened.  He  was  attended  night  and  day 
by  Doctor  Samuel  Bard,  one  of  the  most  enlightened  and  skilful  physicians  and 
suigeons  of  that  day.  The  painful  tumor  was  upon  his  thigh,  and  was  brought  on 
by  the  excitements  and  labors  which  he  had  undergone  since  his  inauguration.  On 
the  third  of  July  he  wrote  to  his  friend,  James  M'Henry,  of  Baltimore,  informing 
him  that  the  tumor  was  likely  to  prove  beneficial  to  his  general  health,  and  that 
then  he  was  able  to  exercise  in  his  coach.  To  Mr.  M'Henry's  suggestion  that  Dr. 
Graik  should  be  sent  for,  Washington  replied,  that  it  would  gratify  him  much  to 
have  his  old  friend  with  him,  but,  since  he  could  not  enjoy  that  benefit,  he  thought 
himself  "  fortunate  in  having  fallen  into  such  good  hands,*'  as  Dr.  Bard's.  Doctor 
M' Vickar,  in  his  life  of  Bard,  alluding  to  this  illness  of  the  president,  relates  that, 
on  one  occasion,  being  left  alone  with  him,  the  sufferer,  looking  the  physician  stead- 
ily in  the  face,  desired  his  candid  opinion  as  to  the  probable  termination  of  his 
disease,  adding,  with  perfect  composure — ''Do  not  flatter  me  with  vain  hopes ;  1 
am  not  afraid  to  die,  and  therefore  can  bear  the  worst."  Dr.  Bard  expressed  a 
hope,  but  acknowledged  his  apprehensions.  Washington  replied,  with  the  same 
coolness,  "  Whether  to-night  or  twenty  years  hence,  makes  no  difference ;  I  know 
that  I  am  in  the  hands  of  a  good  Providence." 

t  This  tour  was  commenced  on  Thursday,  the  fifteenth  of  October,  1789,  and  oc- 


TEE  mSffS  inSAB  OP  !rH£  FEESIDMCT.  399 

The  president's  mansion  was  so  limited  in  accommo- 
dation that  three  of  the  secretaries  were  compelled  to 
occupy  one  room  —  Humphreys,  Lewis,  and  Nelson. 
Humphreys,  aid-de-camp  to  the  commander-in-chief  at 
Yorktown,  was  a  most  estimable  man,  and  at  the  same 
time  a  poet.  About  this  period  he  was  composing  his 
^  Widow  of  Malabar."*  Lewis  and  Nelson,  both  young 
men,  were  content,  after  the  labors  of  the  day,  to  enjoy 
a  good  night's  repose.  But  this  was  often  denied  them ; 
for  Humphreys,  when  in  the  vein,  would  rise  from  his 
bed  at  any  hour,  and,  with  stentorian  voice,  recite  his 
verses.  The  young  men,  roused  from  their  slumbers, 
and  rubbing  their  eyes,  beheld  a  great  burly  figure,  "  en 
ohermey'  striding  across  the  floor,  reciting  with  great  em- 
phasis particular  passages  from  his  poem,  and  calling  on 
his  room-mates  for  their  approbation.  Having  in  this 
way  for  a  considerable  time  "murdered  the  sleep"  of  his 
associates,  Humphreys  at  length,  wearied  by  his  exer- 
tions, would  sink  upon  his  pillow  in  a  kind  of  dreamy 
languor.  So  sadly  were  the  young  secretaries  annoyed 
by  the  frequent  outbursts  of  the  poet's  imagination,  that 
it  was  remarked  of  them  by  their  friends  that,  from  1789, 
to  the  end  of  their  lives,  neither  Eobert  Lewis  nor 
Thomas  Nelson  were  ever  known  to  evince  the  slightest 
taste  for  poetry. 

capied  nearly  a  month.  Major  Jackson,  Mr.  Lear,  and  gix  servants  composed  his 
retinne.  Chief  Justice  Jay,  and  Generals  Hamilton  and  Knox,  accompanied  them 
some  distance  out  of  the  city.  He  returned  on  the  thiiteentb  of  November.  In  his 
diary  of  that  date  he  says — "Between  two  and  three  o'clock  arrived  at  my  honse 
at  New  York,  where  I  found  Mrs.  Washington  and  the  rest  of  the  family  all  well — 
and  it  being  Mrs.  Washington's  night  to  receive  visits,  a  pretty  large  company  of 
ladles  and  gentlemen  were  present." 

*  The  Widow  of  Malabar,  or  the  Tifranny  of  Custom,  is  a  tragedy,  translated  from 
the  French  of  M.  Le  Mierre.  It  was  brought  out  in  Philadelphia^  in  May,  1 790,  by 
the  old  American  company,  in  which  Hallam,  Wigneli,  Harper,  Biddle,  Martin, 


400  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

The  mansion  in  Cherry  street  proving  so  very  incon- 
venientj  induced  the  French  ambassador  to  give  up  his 
establishment — McComb's  new  house  in  Broadway — 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  president*  It  was  fix>m 
this  house  in  1790  that  Washington  took  his  final  de- 
parture from  New  Torkf  It  was  always  his  habit  to 
endeavor,  as  much  as  possible,  to  avoid  the  manifesta- 
tions of  affection  and  gratitude  that  met  him  every- 
where. He  strove  in  vain ;  he  was  closely  watched,  and 
the  people  would  have  their  way.  He  wished  to  have 
slipped  off  unobserved  from  New  York,  and  thus  steal  a 
march  upon  his  old  companions-in-arms.  But  there  were 
too  many  of  the  dear  glorious  old  veterans  of  the  Revo- 
lution at  that  time  of  day  in  and  near  New  York  to 
render  such  an  escape  even  possible. 

The  baggage  had  all  been  packed  up ;  the  horses,  car- 
riages, and  servants  ordered  to  be  over  the  ferry  to 
Paulus's  Hook,  by  daybreak,  and  nothing  was  wanting 

Henry,  Mrs.  Henrjr,  and  Miss  Take,  were  the  performers.  The  prologue  xns 
written  by  John  Trnmball,  the  author  of  M'FingaU,  and  was  spoken  by  Mr.  Hal- 
lam.  The  epilogue  was  written  by  Mr.  Humphreys,  and  was  spoken  by  Mrs. 
Henry. 

*  Washington,  in  bis  diary,  under  date  of  February  first,  1790,  says:  "Agreed 
on  Saturday  last  to  take  Mr.  M'Combs's  house,  lately  occupied  by  the  minister  of 
France,  for  one  year  from  and  after  the  first  day  of  May  next  .  .  This  day  sent  my 
secretary  to  examine  the  rooms  to  see  how  my  furniture  could  be  adapted  to  the 
respective  apartments."  On  Wednesday,  the  third,  he  records — "  Visited  the  apart- 
ments in  the  house  of  Mr.  M'Combs ;  made  a  disposition  of  the  rooms ;  fixed  on 
some  fumitnre  of  the  minister's  (which  was  to  be  sold,  and  was  well  adapted  to  par- 
ticular public  rooms),  and  directed  additional  stables  to  be  built."  On  the  twenty- 
second  he  records  — "  Set  seriously  about  removing  my  furniture  to  my  new  house. 
Two  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  family  had  their  beds  taken  there,  and  will  sleep 
there  to-night."  This  house  was  on  Broadway,  west  side,  a  little  below  Trinity 
church.  It  was  subsequently  occupied  as  a  hotel,  and  was  called  the  ifansiofi- 
Haute,  from  the  fact  that  it  had  been  the  presidential  mansion. 

t  The  seat  of  goveroment  was  removed  to  Philadelphia  ihat  year,  and  Coogreis 
assembled  in  that  city,  on  the  first  Monday  of  December  following. 


THE  FIRST  T£AR  OF  THE  PRESIDSNCT.  401 

for  departure  but  the  dawru  The  lights  were  yet  burn- 
ing, when  the  president  came  into  the  room  where  his 
family  were  assembled,  evidently  much  pleased  in  the 
belief  that  all  was  right,  when,  immediately  under  the 
windows,  the  band  of  the  artillery  struck  up  Washing- 
ton's March.  "There !"  he  exclaimed,  *^it's  all  over;  we 
are  foimd  oui  Well,  well,  they  must  have  their  own 
way."  New  York  soon  after  appeared  as  if  taken  by 
storm;  troops  and  persons  of  all  descriptions  hurrying 
down  Broadway  toward  the  place  of  embarcation,  all 
anxious  to  take  a  last  look  on  him  whom  so  many  could 
never  expect  to  see  again. 

The  embarcation  was  delayed  until  all  the  complimen* 
tary  arrangements  were  completed.  The  president,  after 
taking  leave  of  many  dear  and  cherished  friends,  and 
many  an  old  companion-in-arms,  stepped  into  the  barge 
that  was  to  convey  him  from  New  York  for  ever.  The 
coxswain  gave  the  word  "let  fall;"  the  spray  from  the 
oars  sparkled  in  the  morning  sunbeams;  the  bowman 
shoved  o£f  from  the  pier,  and,  as  the  barge  swung  round 
to  the  tide,  Washington,  rose,  uncovered,  in  the  stem,  to 
bid  adieu  to  the  masses  assembled  on  the  shore;  he 
waved  his  hat,  and,  in  a  voice  tremulous  from  emotion, 
pronounced  farewell.  It  may  be  supposed  that  Major 
Bauman,"^  who  commanded  the  artillery  on  this  interest- 
ing occasion,  who  was  first  captain  of  Lamb's  regiment^ 
and  a  favorite  ofl&cer  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  would, 
when  about  to  pay  his  last  respects  to  his  beloved  com- 
mander, load  his  pieces  with  something  more  than  mere 

*  Major  Sebastian  Bauman  was  a  meritorious  artillery  oiAcer  daring  the  war.  He 
was  at  West  Point  at  the  time  of  Arnold's  treason ;  was  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown, 
and  was  postmaster  at  New  York  thirteen  consecutive  years,  commencing  in  1790, 
when  Washington  appointed  him. 

26 


402  BxooLLBcnoms  of  Washington. 

blank  cartridges.  But  ah !  the  thunders  of  the  cannon 
were  completely  hushed  when  the  mighty  shout  of  the 
people  arose  that  responded  to  the  farewell  of  Washings 
ton.  Pure  fix)m  the  heart  it  came ;  right  up  to  Heaven 
it  went^  to  call  down  a  blessing  upon  the  Father  of  his 
Country. 

The  barge  had  scarcely  gained  the  middle  of  the  Hud- 
son when  trumpets  were  heard  at  Paulus's  Hook,*  where 
the  govemorf  and  the  chivalry  of  Jersey  were  in  waiting 
to  welcome  the  chief  to  those  well-remembered  shorea 
Escorts  of  cavalry  relieved  each  other  throughout  the 
whole  route,  up  to  the  Pennsylvania  line ;  every  village, 
and  even  hamlet^  turned  out  its  population  to  greet  with 
cordial  welcome  the  man  upon  whom  all  eyes  were  fixed, 
and  in  whom  all  hearts  rejoiced. 

What  must  have  been  the  recollections  that  crowded 
on  the  mind  of  Washington  during  this  triumphant  pro- 
gress ?  Newark,  Brunswick,  Princeton,  Trenton !  What 
a  contrast  between  the  glorious  burst  of  simshine  that 
now  illumined  and  made  glad  ever3rthing  around  these 
memorable  spots,  with  the  gloomy  and  desolate  remem- 
brances of  76  !  Then  his  country's  champion,  with  the 
wreck  of  a  shattered  host,  was  flying  before  a  victorious 
and  well-appointed  foe,  while  all  around  him  was  shroud- 
ed in  the  darkness  of  despair;  nowy  in  his  glorious  prog- 
ress over  the  self-same  route,  his  firm  footstep  presses 
upon  the  soil  of  an  infant  empire,  reposing  in  the  joys 
of  peace,  independence,  and  happiness. 

Among  the  many  who  swelled  his  triumph,  the  most 
endeared  to  the  heart  of  the  chief  were  the  old  associates 

*  Now  Jenoy  City,  opposite  New  York, 
t  Governor  Richard  Howell,  of  New  Jersey. 


THE  FUtfiT  YEAE  OF  THE  PRESEDENCT.  403 

of  his  toils,  his  fortunes,  and  his  fame.  Many  of  the 
Revolutionary  veterans  were  living  in  1790,  and,  by 
their  presence,  gave  a  dignified  tone  and  character  to  all 
public  assemblages ;  and  when  you  saw  a  peculiarly  fine- 
looking  soldier  in  those  old  days,  and  would  ask,  ^  to 
what  corps  of  the  American  army  did  you  belong?" 
drawing  himself  up  to  his  full  height,  with  a  martial  air, 
and  back  of  the  hand  thrown  up  to  his  forehead,  the  vet- 
eran would  reply,  ^  Life-Guard,  your  honor/'* 
'  And  proud  and  happy  were  these  veterans  in  again 
•  beholding  their  own  good  Lady  WasMngton,  Greatly  was 
■  she  beloved  in  the  army.  Her  many  intercessions  with 
the  chief  for  the  pardon  of  offenders,  and  her  kind- 
ness to  the  sick  and  wounded,  caused  her  annual  arrival 
in  camp  to  be  hailed  as  an  event  that  would  serve  to  dis- 
sipate the  gloom  of  the  winter-quarters. 

Arrived  at  the  line,  the  Jersey  escort  was  relieved  by 
the  cavalry  of  Pennsylvania ;  and  when  near  to  Philadel- 
phia, the  president  was  met  by  Governor  Mifflinf  and  a 
brilliant  cortege  of  ofl&cers,  and  escorted  by  a  squadron 

*  See  chapter  yii.  O^i^ 

t  Thomas  Mifflin  was  bom  in  Philadelphia,  of  Quaker  parents,  in  the  year  WMi 
He  was  trained  in  all  the  strictness  of  the  sect  He  prepared  for  mercantile  life,  and 
at  quite  an  early  age  made  a  voyage  to  Europe.  In  1772,  he  was  elected  a  repre- 
sentattve  in  the  colonial  assembly  of  his  province,  and  in  1774,  being  recognised  as  a 
warm  republican,  he  was  chosen  a  representative  in  the  continental  Congress.  The 
following  year  he  entered  the  military  sen-ice,  accompanied  Washington  to  Cam- 
bridge, as  his  aid,  and  in  the  spring  of  1776,  was  commissioned  a  brigadier  in  the 
continental  army.  He  was  promoted  to  major-general  in  February,  1777,  and  con- 
tinued in  service  until  near  the  close  of  the  war.  In  the  autumn  of  1783,  he  was 
chosen  president  of  Congress,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  received  from  Wash- 
ington his  commission,  when  he  resigned  it.  In  1 785  he  was  a  member  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania legislature,  and  in  1787  was  a  member  of  the  federal  convention.  He  was 
elected  governor  of  Pennsylvania  in  1790,  and  held  that  office  nine  yean.  He  re- 
tired from  it  in  December  1799,  and  expired  at  Lancaster  the  following  aoadi,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-six  years. 


404  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHIKOTON. 

of  horse  to  the  city.  Conspicuous  among  the  governor's 
suite,  as  well  for  his  martial  bearing  as  for  the  manly 
beauty  of  his  person,  was  General  Walter  Stewart,  a  son 
of  Erin,  and  a  gallant  and  distinguished  officer  of  the 
Pennsylvania  line.  To  Stewart,  as  to  Cadwalader, 
Washington  was  most  warmly  attached ;  indeed,  those 
officers  were  among  the  very  choicest  of  the  contribu- 
tions of  Pennsylvania  to  the  army  and  cause  of  Independ- 
ence. Mifflin,  small  in  stature,  was  active,  alert,  "  every 
inch  a  soldier."  He  was  a  patriot  of  great  influence  in 
Pennsylvania  in  the  "  times  that  tried  men's  souls,"  and 
nobly  did  he  exert  that  influence  in  raising  troops,  with 
which  to  reinforce  the  wreck  of  the  grand  army  at  the 
close  of  the  campaign  of  76. 

Arrived  within  the  city,  the  crowd  became  intense. 
The  president  left  his  carriage  and  mounted  the  white 
charger ;  and^  with  the  governor  on  his  right,  proceeded 
to  the  City  Tavern  in  South  Second  street,*  where  quar- 
ters were  prepared  for  him,  the  light-infantry,  after  some 
time,  having  opened  a  passage  for  the  carriages.  At  the 
City  Tavern  the  president  was  received  by  the  authori- 
ties of  Philadelphia,  who  welcomed  the  chief  magistrate 
to  their  city  as  to  his  home  for  the  remainder  of  his 
presidential  term.  A  group  of  old  and  long-tried  friends 
were  also  in  waiting.  Foremost  among  these,  and  first 
to  grasp  the  hand  of  Washington,  was  one  who  was  al- 

*  The  City  Tavern  was  then,  and  had  been  since  its  erection  in  1 770,  the  leading 
pablic-honse  in  Philadelphia.  It  was  in  South  Second,  near  Walnut  street.  It 
was  the  gathering^place  for  the  members  of  the  continental  Congress ;  and  from  it 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  processions  ever  known,  was  seen  on  the  fifth  of  Sep- 
tember, 1774.  John  Adams,  in  his  diary,  says  :  "At  ten,  the  delegates  all  met  at 
the  City  Tayem,  and  walked  to  the  Carpenter*s  Hall."  Within  an  hour  afterward, 
the  first  Congress  was  organized  by  the  appointment  of  Peyton  Randolph  as  presi* 
dent,  and  Charles  Thomson  as  secretary. 


TES  FIRST  TEAR  OF  THE  PRESIDENCT.  405 

ways  nearest  to  his  heart,  a  patriot  and  public  benefactor, 
Bobert  Morris. 

After  remaining  a  short  time  in  Philadelphia,  the  pres- 
ident speeded  on  his  journey  to  that  home  where  he  ever 
found  rest  from  his  mighty  labors,  and  enjoyed  the  sweets 
of  rural  and  domestic  happiness  amid  his  farms  and  at 
his  fireside  of  Mount  Vernon. 

Onward,  still  onward,  flows  the  tide  of  time.  The  few 
who  yet  survive  that  remember  the  father  of  his  country, 
are  fast  fading  away.  A  little  while,  and  their  gray  heads 
will  all  have  dropped  into  the  grave.  May  the  reminis- 
cences of  one  whom  Washington  adopted  in  infancy, 
cherished  in  youth,  and  who  grew  up  to  manhood  under 
his  parental  care,  continue  to  find  favor  with  the  Ameri- 
can people ! 


406  BJBCOLLBCnONS  OF  WASHINQTOlf. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

WASHINGTON'S  HOME  AND   HOUSEHOLD  * 

OBBSB-^PtTBuo  Datb  whxu  Prmxduit— WASHiirovox^  Atsuion  to  Show  ajkb  Pomp~ 
OovoBiatioxAL  AKD  DiTLOMATio  DuTHXBs — Mil.  Wasoihotov^  Emivo  PijmB— Tmb 
CnfoiNiTAn— WABnnroTOM^B  Arbktiok  «o  Psitaiv  CoirosBHt— HnBoovoirr-^Hs  E«- 

DSATOU  TO  ATOIP  PxBSONAI.  AlTXimOXS  —  HH  BxCIFTtOir  XTXETWHKBX  —  OOIOXV. 
PXOOTOI  — Ck>LOKSL  ROOSBS  —  GSHSXAL  ChABLBS  BoOTT— An  ImiBH  SOLDIXB  AT  THB  Pb»- 

XDumAL  Mahkoh — Tm  Weath  or  Washihotox— Hn  Sons  of  JvfnoB— Fun  Iv- 
TSBTivr  WITH  St.  Claxb  attsb  bv  Dxfxat  — WABBixaToif^  Stbwabd— His  Extbata- 
OAjfOB  Rbpbotbd— Tub  Cuibt  Cook  or  thb  PEBsiDBirnAL  Mahhox^-Hs  Cbabaotbb 
AiTD  Habitb— Thb  Ck>ACHMAif— Thb  Coaoh  ik  which  thb  Pbbsipbbt  kapb  Km  Toitb 

THBOUOH  THB  SOUTHBBK    StATBS  — ThB    StABLBS  IH  PhILADBLPHIA  —  ThB    ChABGBBS    AX1> 

thb  Goach-Hobsbs— Auiost  a  Gatabtbophx—Wabhikotoh^  PirxcTUALiTT— Sobxxs  OX 
thb  Natioxal  Axxitbbbabibb— Bbtlbotioxb. 

Wherever  Washington  established  a  home — ^whether 
temporary  or  fixed,  whether  amid  the  log  huts  of  Morris- 
town  or  the  Valley  Forge,  the  presidential  mansions  in 
New  York  or  Philadelphia,  or  his  own  beloved  Mount 
Vernon— everywhere  order,  method,  pimctuaUty,  econ- 
omy reigned.  His  household,  whether  civil  or  military, 
was  always  upon  a  liberal  scale,  and  was  conducted  with 
due  regard  to  economy  and  usefulness. 

The  public  days  of  the  first  president  of  the  United 
States,  were  two  in  each  week.  On  Tuesday  from  three 
to  four  o'clock,  a  levee  was  held  for  foreign  ministers, 
strangers,  and  others,  who  could  there  be  presented  to 

*  The  earlier  portion  of  this  chapter  was  written  in  Jalj,  1837,  and  published 
in  the  Alexandria  Gazette.  The  latter  portion,  commencing  with  a  notice  of  Fraances, 
the  steward,  was  written  and  published  in  a  Baltimore  paper,  in  April,  1849. 


WASHOraTON'S  HOlffl  AND  HOUSEHOLD.  407 

the  chief  magistrate^  without  the  formality  of  letters  of 
introduction.  It  was,  indeed  more  an  arrangement  of 
mutual  convenience  to  the  parties,  than  an  affair  of  state ; 
still  it  was  objected  to  by  some,  at  that  time  of  day,  as 
savoring  rather  of  monarchal  etiquette,  than  of  the 
simpler  customs  which  should  distinguish  a  republic. — 
Who  thinks  so  now  ?  In  truth,  the  first  president  was 
so  occupied  with  the  multiplicity  of  public  concerns,  at- 
tendant on  the  outset  of  a  new  government,  that  it  be- 
came necessary  to  limit  the  time  of  visiters  of  mere  cere- 
mony, as  much  as  possible ;  and  the  levee  enabled  all 
such  personages  to  pay  their  respects  within  the  moder- 
ate compass  of  an  hour.  The  world  is  always  governed 
in  a  considerable  degree  by  form  and  usage.  There 
never  lived  a  man  more  averse  to  show  and  pomp  than 
Washington.  Plain  in  his  habits,  there  was  none  to  whom 
the  details  of  official  parade  and  ceremony  could  be  less 
desirable ;  but  correct  in  all  his  varied  stations  of  life, 
the  days  of  the  first  presidency  will  ever  appear  as 
among  the  most  dignified  and  imposing  in  our  countr3r's 
annals.* 

*  In  a  letter  to  Doctor  Staart,  Washington  givA  an  account  of  the  origin  of  his 
levees.  "  Before  the  custom  was  established/'  he  says,  "  which  now  aecommodates 
foreign  characters,  strangers,  and  others,  who,  from  motiyes  of  cariosity,  respect  for 
the  chief  magistrate,  or  any  other  cause,  are  indnced  to  call  npon  me,  I  was  nnable 
to  attend  to  any  bosiness  whatever ;  for  gentlemen,  consolttng  their  own  convenience 
rather  than'mhie,  were  calling  after  the  time  I  rose  from  breakfast,  and  often  before, 
until  I  sat  down  to  dinner.  This,  as  I  resolved  not  to  neglect  my  public  duties, 
leduced  me  to  the  choice  of  one  of  these  alternatives :  either  to  refuse  visits  alto- 
gether, or  to  appropriate  a  time  for  the  reception  of  them.  The  first  would,  I  knew, 
be  disgusting  to  many ;  the  latter,  I  expected,  would  undergo  animadversions  from 
those  who  would  find  fault  with  or  without  cause.  To  please  everybody  was  im* 
possible.  I,  therefore,  adopted  that  line  of  conduct  which  combined  public  advan- 
tage with  private  convenience,  and  which,  in  my  judgment,  was  unexceptionable  in 
itself. . .  .These  visits  are  optional ;  they  are  made  without  invitation ;  between  the 
boors  of  three  and  four  every  Tuesday,  I  am  prepared  to  receive  them.    Gentlemen, 


408  BBOOCLECnONB  OP  WASHUfCnON. 

On  Thursday  the  president  gave  his  congressional  and 
diplomatic  dinners ;  and  on  Friday  nighty  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton received  company  at  what  was  then,  and  is  still, 
called  the  drawing-room-* 

often  in  great  namben,  come  and  go,  chat  with  each  other,  and  act  ae  they  pleaie. 
A  porter  shows  them  into  the  room,  and  the j  retire  from  it  when  they  choose,  with- 
out ceremony.  At  their  first  entrance  they  salate  me,  and  I  them,  and  as  many  as 
I  can  I  talk  to." 

*  See  note  on  page  896.  Ifr.  Wansey,  an  English  trayeller,  who  published  an 
account  of  his  Excursion  in  the  United  States,  in  1795,  says,  that  the  democrats 
"  objected  to  these  drawing-rooms  of  Mrs.  Washington,  as  tending  to  give  her  a 
snper-eminency,  and  as  introductory  to  the  paraphernalia  of  courts."  After  quoting 
this,  Dr.  Griswold,  in  his  Republican  Court,  remarlcs  :  "  With  what  feelings  the  ex- 
cellent woman  regarded  these  democrats  is  shown  by  an  anecdote  of  the  same  period. 
She  was  a  severe  disciplinarian,  and  Nelly  Cnstis  was  not  often  permitted  by  her  to 
be  idle,  or  to  follow  her  own  caprices.  The  young  girl  was  compelled  to  practise  at 
the  harpsichord  four  or  five  hours  every  day,  and  one  morning,  when  she  should 
have  been  playing,  her  grandmother  entered  the  room,  remarking  that  she  had  not 
heard  the  music,  and  also  that  she  had  observed  some  person  going  out,  whose  name 
she  would  very  much  like  to  know.  Nelly  was  silent,  and  suddenly  her  attention 
was  arrested  by  a  blemish  on  the  wall,  which  had  been  newly  painted  a  delicate 
cream  color.  '  Ah  1  it  was  no  federalist,'  she  exclaimed,  looking  at  the  spot  just 
above  a  settee ;  "  none  but  a  filthy  democrat  would  mark  a  place  with  his  good-for- 
nothing  head  in  that  manner ! " 

Samuel  York  Atlee,  Esq.  of  Washington  city,  called  the  attention  of  Mr.  Cnstis 
to  this  statement,  when  the  venerable  author  of  these  Recollections,  in  a  letter  to  that 
gentleman,  on  the  29th  of  December,  1854,  remarked : — 

"  As  to  the  story  of  Nelly  Cuttis,  my  sister,  practising  very  long  and  very  un- 
willingly at  the  harpsichord,  that  part  of  the  taU  of  Wdnseif  is  true.  The  poor  girl 
would  play  and  cry,  and  cry  and  play,  for  long  hours,  under  the  immediate  eye  of 
her  grandmother,  a  rigid  disciplinarian  in  all  things. 

"  As  to  the  absurd  details  that  chronicle  a  saying  of  Mrs.  Washington,  touching 
democrats,  no  one,  my  dear  sir,  who  knew  that  venerable  lady,  or  who  had  ever 
heard  of  her,  will  believe  a  word  of  it.  As  the  esteemed  Lady  Washington  of  the 
army  of  Independence,  or  the  Lady-president  of  later  days,  Mrs.  Washington  was 
remarkable  for  her  affable  and  dignified  manners,  and  her  courteous  and  kindly  de- 
meanor to  all  who  approached  her.  Again,  it  is  notorious  that  the  politicians  and 
statesmen  of  both  parties  were  equally  well  and  kindly  received  at  the  presidental 
mansion,  where  were  welcomed  Mr.  Grallatin,  Mr.  Giles,  and  others  of  the  chieft  of 
the  democratic  party,  as  well  as  Mr.  Ames,  Mr.  Sedgwick,  and  others  of  the  feder- 
alists. 

"  I  can,  with  great  truth,  aver  that,  in  the  whole  period  of  the  first  presidency,  I 


WASHmOTOlfS  HOICB  JJSCD  HOUfiEaBtOlJ).  409 

The  president  attended  Mrs.  Washington's  evening 
parties,  and  paid  his  compliments  to  the  circle  of  ladies, 
with  that  ease  and  elegance  of  manners  for  which  he 
was  remarkable.  Among  the  most  polished  and  well- 
bred  gentlemen  of  his  time,  he  was  always  particularly 
polite  to  ladies,  even  in  the  rugged  scenes  of  war ;  and, 
in  advanced  age,  many  were  the  youthful  swains  who 
sighed  for  those  gracious  smiles  with  which  the  fair  al- 
ways received  the  attentions  of  this  old  beau  of  sixty- 
five. 

An  interesting  class  of  persons  were  to  be  found  at 
the  side  of  the  chief,  on  both  his  public  and  private  days, 
who  gave  a  feeling  and  character  to  every  scene,  and 
threw  a  charm  over  very  many  of  the  associations  of 
more  than  thirty  years  ago.  We  mean  the  patriots  and 
heroes  of  the  Revolution.  Among  the  finest  recollections 
of  those  gone-by  days,  were  of  the  anniversary  of  inde- 
pendence, when  the  gray-haired  brethren  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati assembled  around  their  illustrious  president-gene- 
ral, many  of  them  seamed  with  scars,  and  all  bearing  the 
badge  of  the  most  honored  association  upon  earths    These 

nerer  heard  Mrs.  Washington  engage  in  anj  political  controversy,  or,  indeed,  toucA 
Ml  ikt  tubject  of  politics  at  all. 

**  Another  remark,  and  I  have  done. 

"  The  sitting  parlor,  into  which  all  vbiters  were  shown,  was  papered^  not "  painted ;" 
bat  even  had  it  been  painted  d  la  Griswold,  things  were  better  ordered  in  the  house 
of  the  first  president  than  that  a  gentleman-visitcr,  on  leaning  against  the  wainscot, 
shoald  leave  ki§  mark  behind  him," 

*  The  society  of  the  Cincinnati,  composed  of  officers  of  the  continental  army, 
was  organized  in  1783.  It  was  conceived  by  General  Henry  Knox,  and  when  he 
commanicated  his  ideas  on  the  subject  to  Washington,  he  heartily  approved  of  it. 
A  committee,  consisting  of  Generals  Knox,  Hand,  and  Huntington,  and  Captain 
Shaw,  was  appointed  to  pat  the  propositions  of  several  who  were  interested  in  the 
matter  into  a  proper  form.  This  committee  reported  at  a  meeting  held  at  the  quar- 
ters of  the  Baron  Steuben,  in  Fishkili,  Duchess  county,  nearly  opposite  Newburgh 


410  RBOOU^BCTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

venerated  fonoB  are  now  rarely  to  be  seen,  and  soon  will 
be  seen  no  more ;  but  like  Ossian's  shadowy  heroes,  they 
will  appear  through  the  mists  of  time,  and  their  heroic 
lives  and  actions  will  inspire  the  bards  of  liberty,  while 
liberty  e^dsta  to  bless  mankind. 

Notwithstanding  his  great  occupation  in  public  aflbirs, 
the  first  president  by  no  means  neglected  his  private 
concerns.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  receiving  regular  and 
lengthy  reports  from  the  agents  of  his  estates  in  Virginia, 
and  directed  by  letter  the  management  of  those  exten- 
sive establishments,  with  both  consummate  skill  and  suc- 
cess. He  also  inspected  the  weekly  accounts  and  dis- 
bursements of  his  household  in  Philadelphia.  Indeed, 
nothing  seemed  to  escape  the  discerning  mind  of  this 
wonderful  man,  ^  who  had  a  time  for  all  things,  and  did 
everything  in  its  proper  time,"  and  in  order. 

(tho  head-quarters  of  the  army  were  at  the  latter  place),  and  the  society  was  duly 
ors^nized. 

As  it  was  composed  of  officers  who  had  served  their  conntry,  and  were  aboat  to 
resume  their  several  domestic  employments,  they  called  themselves  the  Cincinnati, 
in  honor  of  that  illastrioas  Roman,  Luciu$  Quintus  Cincinnattts,  whose  noble  example 
they  were  abont  to  follow.  Tho  chief  objects  of  the  society  were  to  promote  cordial 
friendship  and  indissolable  union  among  themselves ;  to  commemorate  by  frequent 
re-unions  the  great  straggle  they  had  just  passed  through ;  to  use  their  best  endeavors 
for  the  promotion  of  human  liberty ;  to  cherish  good  feeling  between  the  respective 
states ;  and  to  extend  benevolent  aid  to  those  of  the  society  whose  circumstances 
might  require  it.  They  formed  a  general  society,  and  elected  Washington  the 
president,  and  Knox  the  secretary.  The  former  held  his  office  until  his  death,  and 
was  succeeded  by  General  Alexander  Hamilton.  For  greater  convenience,  state 
societies  were  organized,  which  were  auxilliary  to  the  parent  society.  To  perpetuate 
the  association,  it  was  provided  in  the  constitution,  that  the  eldest  male  descendant 
of  an  original  member  should  be  entitled  to  membership  on  the  decease  of  such 
member,  "  in  failure  thereof,  the  collateral  bi-anches,  who  may  be  jddged  worthy  of 
becoming  its  supporters  and  members."  They  also  adopted  an  Order ,  to  be  worn 
whenever  the  society  should  meet.  For  a  full  account  of  this  society,  with  deline- 
ations of  its  Order  and  certificate  of  membership,  see  Lossing's  Field-Book  of  the 
Beodutum,  i.  694. 


Washington's  home  and  household.  411 

General  Waishington  was  a  practical  economist :  while 
/he  wished  that  his  style  of  living  should  he  fully  in  char- 
acter with  his  exalted  station,  he  was  utterly  averse  to 
waste  09*  extravagance  of  any  sori  He  frequently  repri- 
manded his  first  steward^  Fraunces  (the  same  at  whose 
hotel,  in  New  York,  the  general-in-chief  took  leave  of  his 
brother-officers),  for  expenditures  which  appeared  to  be 
both  unnecessary  and  extravagant^^ 

The  first  president  took  considerable  pains,  and  used 
frequent  stratagems,  in  endeavoring  to  avoid  the  num- 
berless manifestations  of  attachment  and  respect  which 
awaited  him  wherever  he  went.  On  his  journeys,  he 
charged  the  courier  who  would  precede  to  engage  ac- 
commodations at  the  inns,  by  no  means  to  mention  the 
coming  of  the  president  to  other  than  the  landlord. 
These  precautions  but  rarely  took  effect ;  and  often  when 
the  chief  would  suppose  that  he  had  stolen  a  march  upon 
his  old  companions-in-arms  and  fellow-citizens,  a  horse- 
man would  be  discovered  dashing  ofi*  at  full  speed, 

*  This  steward  was  Samuel  Fraunces  (commonly  called  Bladh  Sam,  because  of 
his  daik  complexion),  who  kept  a  public  house  on  the  comer  of  Pearl  and  Broad 
streets,  New  York.  When  Washington  and  his  army  occupied  the  city,  in  the 
summer  of  1776,  the  chief  resided  at  Richmond  hill,  a  little  out  of  town,  after- 
ward the  seat  of  Aaron  Burr.  Fraunces's  daughter  was  Washington's  housekeeper, 
and  she  saved  his  life  on  one  occasion,  bj  exposing  the  intentions  of  Hickey,  one  of 
the  life-Guaid  (already  mentioned),  who  was  about  to  murder  the  general,  by  put- 
ting poison  in  a  dish  of  peas  prepared  for  his  table.  In  1785,  when  Washington 
wished  a  good  cook  at  Mount  Vernon,  he  applied  to  Fraunces  to  recommend  one  to 
bim.  At  the  time  he  was  appointed  steward,  the  following  advertisement  ap- 
peared : — 

"  Whereas,  all  serrants  and  others  appointed  to  procure  provisions  or  supplies 
for  the  household  of  the  Pbbsidbrt  of  thb  Uhitbd  Statbs,  will  be  furnished 
with  moneys  for  these  purposes :  Notice  is  therefore  given,  that  no  accounts,  for  the 
pajrment  of  which  the  public  might  be  considered  responsible,  are  to  be  opened 
with  any  of  them. 

**  May  4,  1 789.  Samvbl  Fbauitoxs,  Steward  to  the  HouUhold," 


412  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINQTOK. 

and  soon  would  be  heard  the  trumpet  of  the  volunteer- 
cavalry  ;  and  the  village  cannon^  roused  from  its  bed  of 
neglect^  where  it  had  lain  since  warlike  time^  would  sum- 
mon all  within  reach  of  its  echoes,  to  haste  and  bid  wel- 
come to  the  man  who  was  ^  first  in  the  hearts  of  his 
countrymen/'  Every  village  and  little  hamlet  poured  forth 
their  population  to  greet  the  arrival  of  him  who  all  de- 
lighted to  honor.  A  kind  of  jubilee  attended  every- 
where the  progress  of  the  patriot  chief;  for  even  the 
school  children,  with  the  curiosity  incident  to  that  age 
of  innocence,  would  labor  hard  at  the  daily  lesson,  and 
leave  the  birch  to  hang  idly  on  the  wall,  when  to  see 
General  WasMngton  was  the  expected  holyday  and  reward ; 
and  many  of  these  children,  now  the  parents  of  children, 
while  recalling  the  golden  hours  of  infancy,  will  dwell 
with  delight  on  the  time  when  they  were  presented  to 
the  paternal  chie^  and  recoimt  how  they  heard  liie  kind- 
ly sounds  of  his  voice,  felt  the  kindlier  touch  of  his  hand, 
or  climbed  his  knee,  to  "  share  the  good  man's  smile." 
Pure,  happy,  and  honored  recollections!  they  will  de- 
scend like  traditionary  lore  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion, venerable  to  all  future  time. 

In  the  frequent  trial  of  generalship  between  the  chief 
and  his  ancient  comrade-in-arms — the  one  seeking  to 
avoid  the  testimonies  of  respect  and  attachment,  which 
the  other  was  equally  studious  to  offer — the  late  Colonel 
Proctor,*  a  gallant  and  distinguished  officer  of  artillery, 
was  several  times  out-generalled — the  president  having 
reached  the  seat  of  government  privately  and  unobserved. 
This  roused  the  good  old  colonel,  who  declared,  ^He 

*  Colonel  Thomas  Proctor  was  in  the  battles  of  Brandjwine,  Gennantown,  and 
Monmoath,  and  was  with  Sullivan  in  his  famous  campaign  against  the  Indiana. 


washinqton's  home  akd  household.  413 

shall  not  serve  me  so  again ;  I'll  warrant  that  my  matches 
will  be  fonnd  lighted  next  time." 

At  the  ferry  of  the  Susquehannah,  lived  a  veteran 
worthy  of  the  Revolutionary  day,  where  the  presi- 
dent always  took  quarters  on  his  journeys  to  and  from 
his  seat  in  Virginia.  As  the  boat  touched  the  shore, 
punctual  to  the  moment  and  true  to  his  post,  stood  Col- 
onel Rogers,  prepared  to  hand  Mrs.  Washington  to  his 
house.  It  was  his  claim,  his  privilege ;  like  the  claims 
at  a  coronation,  it  had  been  put  in  and  allowed,  and, 
verily,  the  veteran  would  not  have  yielded  it  to  an  em- 
peror.* 

The  late  General  Charles  Scott  had  a  most  inveterate 
habit  of  swearing ;  whether  in  private  or  public  society, 
on  his  farm,  or  the  field  of  battle,  every  other  word  was 
an  oath.  On  the  night  preceding  the  battle  of  Prince- 
ton, Scott  received  an  order  from,  the  commander-in-chief 
in  person  to  defend  a  bridge  to  the  last  extremity.  ^  To 
the  last  man,  your  excellency,"  replied  Scott ;  and,  for- 
getting the  presence  of  his  chief,  accompanied  the  words 
with  tremendous  oaths.  The  general,  as  may  be  well 
supposed,  had  but  little  time,  on  that  eventful  evening, 
to  notice  or  chide  this  want  of  decorum  in  his  brave  and 
well-tried  soldier.  After  the  war,  a  friend  of  the  gallant 
general,  anxious  to  reform  his  evil  habits,  asked  him 
whether  it  was  possible  that  the  man  so  much  beloved, 
the  admired  Washington,  ever  swore?  Scott  reflected 
for  a  moment,  and  then  exclaimed,  ^  Yes,  once.  It  was 
at  Monmouth,  and  on  a  day  that  would  have  made  any 

*  At  tho  Head  of  Elk,  was  a  yeteran  named  Tommy  Giles  (who  had  served 
Washiogton  as  an  oxpross  ridor),  who  always  claimed,  and  received,  tho  same 
lionor. 


414    *       RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

man  swear.  Yes,  sir,  he  swore  on  that  day,  till  the 
leaves  shook  on  the  trees,  charming,  delightful.  Never 
have  I  enjoyed  such  swearing  before,  or  since.  Sir,  on 
that  ever-memorable  day  he  swore  like  an  angel  from 
Heaven.'**  The  reformer  abandoned  the  general  in  de- 
spair. 

During  the  first  presidency,  the  door  of  the  mansion 
gathered  but  little  rust  on  its  hinges,  while  its  latch  was 
often  lifted  by  the  "  broken  soldier.''  Scarce  a  day  passed 
that  some  veteran  of  the  heroic  time  did  not  present 
himself  at  headquarters.  The  most  tattered  of  these  types 
of  the  days  of  privation  and  trial  were  "  kindly  bid  to 
stay,"  were  offered  refreshment,  and  a  glass  of  something 
to  their  old  general's  health,  and  then  dismissed  with 
lighter  hearts,  and  heavier  pouches.  So  passed  the 
many,  but  not  so  with  one  of  Erin's  sons.  It  was  about 
the  hour  of  the  Tuesday  levee,  when  German  John,  the 
porter,  opened  to  a  hearty  rap,  expecting  to  admit  at 
least  a  dignitary  of  the  land,  or  foreign  ambassador,  when 
who  should  march  into  the  hall  but  an  old  fellow,  whose 
weather-beaten  countenance,  and  well-worn  apparel, 
showed  him  to  be  "  no  carpet  knight."  His  introduction 
was  short,  but  to  the  purpose.  He  had  "  come  to  head- 
quarters to  see  his  honor's  excellence,  God  bless  him." 

*  Charles  Scott  was  a  natiye  of  Camberland  county,  in  Vii^inia.  He  raised  the 
first  company  of  volanteers  in  that  state,  south  of  the  James  river,  that  actually  en- 
tered into  the  continental  service.  So  much  was  he  appreciated,  that,  hi  1 777,  the 
shire-town  of  Powhatan  county  was  named  in  honor  of  him.  Congress  appointed 
him  a  brigadier  in  the  continental  army  on  the  first  of  April,  1777.  He  served  with 
distinction  during  the  war,  and  at  its  termination  he  went  to  Kentucky.  He  settled 
in  Woodford  county,  in  that  state,  in  1785.  He  was  with  St.  Clair  at  his  defeat  in 
1791 ;  and  in  1794  he  commanded  a  portion  of  Wayne's  army  at  the  battle  of  the 
Fallen  Timber.  He  was  governor  of  Kentucky  from  1808  to  1612.  He  died  on  the 
twenty-second  of  October,  1820,  aged  seventy-four  years. 


WASHINQTON'8  HOlfE  AMD  HOUSEHOLD.  415 

He  was  an  old  soldier.  In  vain  the  porter  assured  him 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  see  the  president  at  that 
time;  a  great  company  was  momently  expected — the 
hall  was  not  a  fitting  place — would  he  go  to  the  stew- 
ard's apartment  and  get  something  to  drink?  To  all 
which  Pat  replied,  that  he  was  in  no  hurry ;  that  he  would 
wait  his  honor's  leisure ;  and,  taking  a  chair,  composed 
and  made  himself  comfortable.  And  now  passed  minis- 
ters of  state  and  foreign  ministers,  senators,  judges ;  the 
great  and  the  gay.  Meanwhile,  poor  Pat  stoutly  main- 
tained his  post^  gazing  on  the  crowd,  till  the  levee  having 
ended,  and  the  president  about  to  retire  to  his  library, 
he  was  informed  that  an  obstinate  Irishman  had  taken 
possession  of  the  hall,  and  woidd  be  satisfied  with  noth- 
ing short  of  an  interview  with  the  president  himself. 
The  chief  good-naturedly  turned  into  the  hall.  So  soon 
as  the  veteran  saw  his  old  commander,  he  roared  out : 
^  Long  life  to  your  honor's  excellence,"  at  the  same  time 
hurling  his  hat  to  the  floor,  and  erecting  himself  with 
military  precision.  ^  Your  honor  will  not  remember  me, 
though  many  is  the  day  that  I  have  marched  under  your 
orders,  and  many's  the  hard  knocks  I've  had,  too.  I  be- 
longed to  Wayne's  brigade — Mad  Anthony ^  the  British 
called  him,  and,  by  the  power,  he  was  always  mad 
enough  for  them.  I  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Ger- 
mantown.  Hurrah  for  America !  and  it  does  my  heart 
good  to  see  yoxu:  honor ;  and  how  is  the  dear  lady  and 
all  the  little  ones  V  Here  the  usually  grave  tempera- 
ment of  Washington  gave  way,  as,  with  a  smile,  he  re- 
plied, he  was  well,  as  was  Mrs.  Washington,  but  they 
were  unfortimate  in  having  no  children ;  then  pressing 
a  token  into  the  soldier's  hand,  he  ascended  the  staircaae 


416  RlCOLUBCnOMS  OF  WASHINaTON. 

to  his  library.  The  Irishman  followed  with  his  eyes  the 
retiring  general,  then  looked  again  and  again  upon  the 
token,  which  he  had  received  from  his  Jumor's  own  hasid^ 
pouched  it^  recovered  his  hat^  which  he  placed  with  mil- 
itary exactness  a  little  on  one  side,  then  took  up  his  line 
of  march,  and  as  he  passed  the  porter,  called  out,  ^  There 
now,  you  Hessian  fellow,  you  see  that  his  honoris  excel- 
lence has  not  forgotten  an  ould  soldier.^' 

These  anecdotes,  though  simple  in  themselves,  possess 
/no  common  character.  They  are  Tales  of  the  Da^s  of 
Washinfftony  and  tales  of  the  heari  We  proceed  to  some- 
thing more  grave. 

The  president  was  dining,  when  an  officer  arrived  from 
the  western  army  with  despatches,  his  orders  requiring 
that  he  should  deliver  them  only  to  the  commander-in- 
chief  The  president  retired,  but  soon  reappeared,  bear- 
ing in  his  hand  an  open  letter.  No  change  was  per- 
ceptible in  his  countenance,  as  addressing  the  company 
he  observed  that  the  army  of  St.  Clair  had  been  surprised 
by  the  Indians,  and  was  cut  to  pieces.*    The  company 

*  For  several  jean  after  the  peace  of  1783,  British  agents  on  the  northwestern 
frontier  of  the  United  States,  continaed  to  tamper  with  the  Indians,  and  excite  them 
to  hostilities  against  the  people  of  the  now  republic.  The  Indians  showed  growing 
discontent  for  some  time,  and  finally,  in  the  spring  of  1790,  these  developed  into 
open  hostilities.  All  attempts  at  pacific  airangements  were  fmitless,  and  a  strong 
force,  under  General  Banner,  was  sent  into  the  Indian  country,  north  of  the  present 
city  of  Cincinnati,  to  desolate  the  Indian  villages  and  crops,  in  order  to  impress  them 
with  terror.  This  accomplished,  he  penetrated  deeper,  and  in  two  battles  (October 
17  and  22, 1790),  near  the  present  village  of  Fort  Wayne,  in  Indiana,  he  was  de- 
feated, with  considerable  loss.  The  following  year,  General  Scott  led  aome  Ken- 
tucky volunteers  against  the  Indians  on  the  Wabash ;  and  another  marched  thither 
in  July  following,  under  General  Wilkinson.  General  St.  Clair  was  then  governor 
of  the  Northwestern  territory,  ftnd  in  September,  1791,  he  marched  against  the 
Indians,  at  the  head  of  two  thousand  men.  While  in  camp,  near  the  northern  lino 
of  the  present  Darke  country,  in  Ohio,  on  the  fourth  of  November,  he  was  surprised 
and  defeated. 


washikoton's  home  and  household.  417 

soon  after  retired.  The  president  repaired  to  his  private 
parlor^  attended  by  Mr.  Lear,  his  principal  secretary,  and 
a  scene  ensued  of  which  our  pen  can  give  but  a  feeble 
description. 

The  chief  paced  the  room  in  hurried  strides.  In  his 
agony,  he  struck  his  clenched  hands  with  fearful  force 
against  his  forehead,  and  in  a  paroxysm  of  anguish  ex- 
claimed :  "  That  brave  army,  so  officered — Butler,  Fergu- 
son, Kirkwood — such  officers  are  not  to  be  replaced  in  a 
day — that  brave  army  cut  to  pieces.  0  God !"  Then 
turning  to  the  secretary,  who  stood  amazed  at  a  spectacle 
so  unique,  as  Washington  in  aU  his  terrors,  he  continued : 
^  It  was  here,  sir,  in  this  very  room,  that  I  conversed 
with  St  Clair,  on  the  very  eve  of  his  departure  for  the 
West  I  remarked,  I  shall  not  interfere,  general,  with 
the  orders  of  General  Knox,  and  the  war  department ; 
they  are  sufficiently  comprehensive  and  judicious ;  but^ 
as  an  old  soldier,  as  one  whose  early  life  was  particularly 
engaged  in  Indian  warfare,  I  feel  myself  competent  to 
counsel ;  General  St  Clair,  in  three  words,  beware  of 
surprise ;  trust  not  the  Indian ;  leave  not  your  arms  for 
a  moment ;  and  when  you  halt  for  the  nighty  be  sure  to 
fortify  your  camp — again  and  again,  general,  beware  of 
surprise.  And  yet  that  brave  army  surprised,  and  cut 
to  pieces,  with  Butler,  and  an  host  of  others  slain,  0 
God  !'*  Here  the  struggle  ended,  as  with  mighty  efforts 
the  hero  chained  down  the  rebellious  giant  of  passion, 
and  Washington  became  ^  himself  again."  In  a  subdued 
tone  of  voice,  he  proceeded :  ^  But  he  shall  have  justice ; 
yes,  long,  faithful,  and  meritorious  services  have  their 
claims.    I  repeat — he  shall  have  justice.*' 

Thus  concluded  a  scene  as  remarkable  as  rare.     It 

27 


418  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WAfiHIIfGTON« 

served  to  display  this  great  man  as  nature  had  made 
him,  with  passions  fierce  and  impetuous,  which,  like  the 
tornado  of  the  tropics,  would  burst  for  a  while  in  awful 
grandeur,  and  then  show,  in  higher  relief,  a  serene  and 
brilliant  sky.* 


*  The  Tenerable  Bidiard  Rush,  who  died  at  his  beautiful  seat  of  STdenham,  i 
Philadelphia,  while  these  pages  were  in  preparation,  has  given  in  a  thin  Tolume,  en- 
titled Wdshingtan  in  Domegtic  lift,  the  fbllowinir  account  of  this  matter,  wiiicfa  cor- 
responds with  that  of  Mr.  Cnstis,  written  thirty  years  before.  Mr.  Custis  doubtless 
also  receiTed  his  information  from  the  lips  of  Mr.  Lear  :** 

"  An  anecdote  I  derived  from  Colonel  Lear/'  says  Mr.  Rush,  "  shortly  before 
his  death  in  1816,  may  here  be  related,  showing  the  height  to  which  Washington's 
passion  would  rise,  yet  be  controlled.  It  belongs  to  his  domestic  life,  with  which  I 
am  dealing,  having  occurred  under  his  own  roof,  while  it  marks  public  feeling*  the 
most  intense,  and  points  to  the  moral  of  his  life.  I  give  it  in  Colonel  Lear's  words, 
as  near  as  I  can,  having  made  a  note  of  them  at  the  time. 

''Toward  the  close  of  a  winter's  day  in  1791,  an  officer  in  nniform  was  seen  to 
dismonnt  in  front  of  the  president's  house,  in  Philadelphia,  and  giving  the  bridle  to 
his  servant,  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  mansion.  Learning  from  the  porter  that  the 
president  was  at  dinner,  he  said  he  was  on  public  business  and  had  despatches  for 
the  president.  A  servant  was  sent  into  the  dining-room  to  give  the  information  to 
Mr.  Lear,  who  left  the  table  and  went  into  the  hall,  where  the  officer  repeated  what 
he  had  said.  Mr.  Lear  replied  that,  as  the  president's  secretary,  he  would  take 
chai^  of  the  despatches  and  deliver  them  at  the  proper  time.  The  officer  made 
answer,  that  he  had  just  arrived  from  the  western  army,  and  his  orders  were  to  de- 
liver them  with  all  promptitude,  and  to  the  president  in  person ;  but  that  he  would 
wait  his  directions.  Mr.  Lear  returned,  and  in  a  whisper  imparted  to  the  president 
what  hod  passed.  Qoneral  Washington  rose  from  the  table,  and  went  to  the  officer. 
He  was  back  in  a  short  time,  made  a  word  of  apology  for  his  absence,  hot  no  allu- 
sion to  the  cause  of  it.  He  had  company  that  day.  Everything  went  on  as  usual. 
Dinner  over,  the  gentlemen  passed  to  the  drawing-room  of  Mrs.  Washington,  which 
was  open  in  the  evening.  The  general  spoke  covrteonsiy  to  every  lady  in  the  room, 
as  was  his  custom.  His  hours  were  early,  and  by  ten  o'clock  all  the  company  had 
gone.  Mrs.  Washington  and  Mr.  Lear  remained.  Soon  Mrs.  Washington  left  the 
room. 

"  The  general  now  walked  backward  and  forward  for  some  minutes  without  speak- 
ing. Then  he  sat  down  on  a  sofa  by  the  fire,  telling  Mr.  Lear  to  sit  down.  To 
'this  moment  there  had  been  no  change  in  his  manner  since  his  interruption  at  the 
table.  Mr.  Lear  now  perceived  emotion.  This  rising  in  him,  he  broke  out  sudden- 
ly, "  It 's  all  over— St.  Clair's  defeated— routed  ,*  the  officers  nearly  all  killed,  the 
men  by  wholesale ;  the  rout  complete — too  shocking  to  think  of— and  a  surprise  in 
the  bargain  r 


WASHINGTON'S   HOME  AND   HOUSEHOLD.  419 

The  first  interview  of  the  president  with  St.  Clair,  after 
the  fatal  fourth  of  November,  was  nobly  impressive. 
The  unfortunate  general,  worn  down  by  age,  disease, 
and  the  hardships  of  a  frontier  campaign,  assailed  by  the 
press,  and  with  the  current  of  popular  opinion  setting 
hard  against  him,  repaired  to  his  chief,  as  to  a  shelter 
from  the  fury  of  so  many  elements.  Washington  ex- 
tended his  hand  to  one  who  appeared  in  no  new  charac- 
ter; for,  during  the  whole  of  a  long  life,  misfortune 
seemed  ^  to  have  marked  him  for  her  own.*'    Poor  old 

"  He  attered  all  thU  with  great  Tehemeace.  Then  he  paused,  got  ap  from  the 
sofa  and  walked  aboat  the  room  several  times,  agitated,  bat  sajing  nothing.  Near 
the  door  he  stopped  short  and  stood  still  a  few  seconds,  when  his  wrath  became  ter- 
rible. 

"  '  Yes,' "  ho  bnrst  forth,  "  '  hbrb,  on  this  very  spot,  I  took  leave  of  him ;  I 
wished  him  success  and  honor ;  yon  have  your  instructions,  I  said,  from  the  secre- 
tary of  war ;  I  had  a  strict  eye  to  them,  and  will  add  but  one  word— beware  of  a 
surprise.  I  repeat  it,  beware  of  a  surprise — ^you  know  how  the  Indians  fight  us. 
Ho  went  off  with  that  as  my  last  solemn  warning  thrown  into  his  ears.  And  yet,  to 
suffer  that  army  to  be  cut  to  pieces,  hacked  by  a  iurprise— the  very  thing  I  guarded 
him  against  1  O  God,  O  God,  he 's  worse  than  a  murderer !  How  can  he  answer 
it  to  his  country  t — ^the  blood  of  the  slain  is  upon  him — ^the  cnrso  of  widows  and 
orphans— the  curie  of  Heaven  V 

"  This  torrent  came  out  in  tone  appalling.  His  very  frame  shook.  It  was  awful, 
said  Mr.  Lear.  More  than  once  he  threw  his  hands  np  as  he  hurled  imprecations 
upon  St.  Clair.    Mr.  Lear  remained  speechless }  awed  into  breathless  silence. 

"  The  roused  chief  sat  down  on  the  sofa  once  more.  He  seemed  conscious  of  his 
passion,  and  uncomfortable.  He  was  silent  His  vrrath  began  to  subside ;  he  at 
length  said,  in  an  altered  voice,  '  This  most  not  go  beyond  this  room.'  Another 
pause  followed— a  lodger  one — when  he  said,  in  a  tone  quite  low,  '  General  St. 
Clair  shall  have  justice.  I  looked  hastily  through  the  despatches,  saw  the  whole 
disaster,  but  not  all  the  particulars ;  I  will  hear  him  without  prejudice ;  he  shall 
have  full  justice.' 

"  He  was  now,  said  Mr.  Lear,  perfectly  calm.  Half  an  hour  had  gone  by.  The 
storm  was  over;  and  no  sign  of  it  was  afterwards  seen  in  his  conduct,  or  heard  in 
his  conversation.  The  result  is  known.  The  whole  case  was  investigated  by  Con- 
gress. St  Clair  was  exculpated  and  regained  the  confidence  Washington  had  in 
him  when  appointing  him  to  that  command.  He  had  put  himself  into  the  thickest 
of  the  fight  and  escaped  unhurt,  though  so  ill  as  to  be  carried  on  a  litter,  and  unable 
to  mount  his  horse  without  help." 


420  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

St.  Clair  hobbled  up  to  his  chief,  seized  the  offered  hand 
in  both  of  his,  and  gave  vent  to  his  feelings  in  an  audible 
manner  *  He  was  subsequently  tried  by  a  coimnission 
of  government,  and  proved  to  have  been  urfoHunate. 

We  have  mentioned  Sam.  Fraunces,  the  president's 
steward.  He  was  a  rare  whig  in  the  Revolutionary  day, 
and  attached  no  little  importance  to  his  person  and  char- 
acter, from  the  circumstance  that  the  memorable  parting 
of  the  commander-in-chief  with  his  old  and  long  endeared 
companions-in-arms  had  taken  place  at  his  tavern  in 
New  York.f 

The  steward  was  a  man  of  talent  and  considerable 
taste  in  the  line  of  his  profession,  but  was  at  the  same 
time  ambitious,  fond  of  display,  and  regardless  of  expense. 
This  produced  continued  difficulties  between  the  pres* 
ident  and  certainly  one  of  the  most  devotedly  attached 
to  him  of  all  his  household. 

The  expenses  of  the  presidential  mansion  were  settled 
weekly ;  and,  upon  the  bills  -being  presented,  the  presi« 

*  Mr.  Costis  informed  me  that  he  happened  to  be  present  at  the  beginning  of  that 
interview.  He  was  then  between  the  tenth  and  eleventh  year  of  his  age,  and  it  made 
an  impression  on  his  mind. 

t  When  the  British  had  evacuated  New  York,  in  November,  1788,  and  the  Amer- 
ican army  was  disbanded,  Washington  prepared  to  proceed  to  Annapolis  to  resign 
his  commission.  On  Thursday,  the  foarth  of  December,  the  principal  officers  in 
the  army  yet  remaining  in  the  service,  assembled  at  Fraances',  to  take  a  final  leave 
of  their  beloved  chief.  The  scene  is  described  as  one  of  great  tenderness.  Wash- 
ington entered  the  room  where  they  were  all  waiting,  and  taking  a  glass  of  wine  in 
his  hand,  he  said,  '*  With  a  heart  fall  of  love  and  gratitude,  I  now  take  leave  of  you. 
I  most  devoutly  wish  that  your  latter  days  may  be  as  prosperous  and  happy  as  your 
former  ones  have  been  glorious  and  honorable."  Having  drank,  he  continued,  "  I 
can  not  come  to  each  of  yon  to  take  my  leave,  but  shall  be  obliged  to  you  if  each 
will  come  and  take  me  by  the  hand."  Knox,  who  stood  nearest  to  him,  turned  and 
grasped  his  hand,  and,  while  the  tears  flowed  down  the  cheeks  of  each,  the  com- 
mander-in-chief kissed  him.  This  he  did  to  each  of  his  officers,  while  tears  and  sobs 
stifled  utterance. 


washinoton's  home  and  household.  421 

dent  would  rate  his  steward  soundly  upon  his  expensive- 
ness,  saying  that^  while  he  wished  to  live  conformably 
to  his  high  station,  liberally,  nay  handsomely,  he  abhor- 
red waste  and  extravagance,  and  insisted  that  his  house- 
hold should  be  conducted  with  due  regard  to  economy 
and  usefulness. 

Fraimces  would  promise  amendment,  and  the  next 
week  the  same  scene  would  be  re-enacted  in  all  its  parts, 
the  steward  retiring  in  tears,  and  exclaiming,  "  Well,  he 
may  discharge  me ;  he  may  kill  me  if  he  will ;  but  while 
he  is  president  of  the  United  States,  and  I  have  the 
honor  to  be  his  steward,  his  establishment  shall  be  sup- 
plied with  the  very  best  of  everything  that  the  whole 
country  can  aflTord." 

Washington  was  remarkably  fond  of  fish.  It  waa  the 
habit  for  New  England  ladies  frequently  to  prepare  the 
codfish  in  a  very  nice  manner,  and  send  it  enveloped  in 
cloths,  so  as  to  arrive  quite  warm  for  the  president's 
Saturday  dinner,  he  always  eating  codfish  on  that  day  in 
compliment  to  his  New  England  recollections. 

It  happened  that  a  single  shad  was  caught  in  the  Dela- 
ware in  February,  and  brought  to  the  Philadelphia  mar- 
ket for  sale.  Fraunces  pounced  upon  it  with  the  speed 
of  an  osprey,  regardless  of  price,  but  charmed  that  he 
had  secured  a  delicacy  that,  above  all  others,  he  knew 
would  be  agreeable  to  the  plate  of  his  chief. 

When  the  fish  was  served,  Washington  suspected  a 
departure  from  his  orders  touching  the  provision  to  be 
made  for  his  table,  and  said  to  Fraunces,  who  stood  at 
his  post  at  the  sideboard,  ^  What  fish  is  this  ?" — ^^^  A  shad, 
a  very  fine  shad/*  was  the  reply ;  *^  I  knew  your  excel- 
lency was  particularly  fond  of  this  kind  of  fish,  and  was 


422  RBCOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

SO  fortunate  as  to  procure  tliis  one  in  market — a  solitary 
one,  and  the  first  of  the  season." — ^  The  price,  sir ;  the 
price !"  continued  Washington,  in  a  stem  commanding 
tone ;  ^  the  price,  sir  T — ^  Three — ^three — ^three  dollars," 
stammered  out  the  conscience-stricken  steward.  "  Take 
it  away,"  thundered  the  chief;  "take  it  away,  sir;  it 
shall  never  be  said  that  my  table  sets  such  an  example 
of  luxury  and  extravagance."  Poor  Fraunces  tremblingly 
obeyed,  and  the  first  shad  of  the  season  was  removed 
untouched,  to  be  speedily  discussed  by  the  gourmands 
of  the  servants'  hall. 

The  chief  cook  would  have  been  termed  in  modem 
parlance,  a  celebrated  artiste.  He  was  named  Hercules, 
and  familiarly  termed  Uncle  Harkless.  Trained  in  the 
mysteries  of  his  part  from  early  youth,  and  in  the  palmy 
days  of  Virginia,  when  her  thousand  chimneys  smoked 
to  indicate  the  generous  hospitality  that  reigned  through' 
out  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  her  wide  domain, 
Uncle  Harkless  was,  at  the  period  of  the  first  presidency, 
as  highly  accomplished  a  proficient  in  the  culinary  art  as 
could  be  found  in  the  United  States.  He  was  a  dark- 
brown  man,  little,  if  any,  above  the  usual  size,  yet  pos- 
sessed of  such  great  muscular  power  as  to  entitle  him  to 
be  compared  with  his  namesake  of  fabulous  history. 

The  chief  cook  gloried  in  the  cleanliness  and  nicety  of 
his  kitchen.  Under  his  iron  discipline,  wo  to  his  under- 
lings if  speck  or  spot  could  be  discovered  on  the  tables 
or  dressers,  or  if  the  utensils  did  not  shine  like  polished 
silver.  With  the  luckless  wights  who  had  ofiended  in 
these  particulars  there  was  no  arrest  of  punishment,  for 
judgment  and  execution  went  hand  in  hand. 

The  steward,  and  indeed  the  whole  household,  treated 


WASHINQTON'S  home  and  HOirSEHOLD.  423 

the  chief  cook  with  much  respect^  bs  well  for  his  valua- 
ble  services  as  for  his  general  good  character  and  pleas- 
ing manners. 

It  was  while  preparing  the  Thursday  or  Congress  din- 
ner that  Uncle  Harkless  shone  in  all  his  splendor.  Dur- 
ing his  labors  upon  this  banquet  he  required  some  hal^ 
dozen  aprons^  and  napkins  out  of  number.  It  was  sur- 
prising the  order  and  discipline  that  was  observed  in  so 
bustling  a  scene.  His  underlings  flew  in  all  directions 
to  execute  his  orders,  while  he,  the  great  master-spirit, 
seemed  to  possess  the  power  of  ubiquity,  and  to  be  every- 
where at  the  same  moment. 

When  the  steward  in  snow-white  apron,  silk  shorts  and 
stockings,  and  hair  in  full  powder,  placed  the  first  dish 
on  the  table,  the  clock  being  on  the  stroke  of  four,  ^  the 
labors  of  Hercules"  ceased. 

While  the  masters  of  the  republic  were  engaged  in  dis- 
cussing the  savory  viands  of  the  Congress  dinner,  the 
chief  cook  retired  to  make  his  toilet  for  an  evening 
promenade.  His  perquisites  from  the  slops  of  the  kitchen 
were  from  one  to  two  hundred  dollars  a  year.  Though 
homely  in  person,  he  lavished  the  most  of  these  large 
avails  upon  dress.  In  making  his  toilet  his  linen  was  of 
unexceptionable  whiteness  and  quality,  then  black  silk 
shorts,  ditto  waistcoat,  ditto  stockings,  shoes  highly  pol- 
ished, with  large  buckles  covering  a  considerable  part  of 
the  foot,  blue  cloth  coat  with  velvet  collar  and  bright 
metal  buttons,  a  long  watch-chain  dangling  from  his  fob, 
a  cocked-hat,  and  gold-headed  cane  completed  the  grand 
costume  of  the  celebrated  dandy  (for  there  were  dandies 
in  those  days)  of  the  president's  kitchen. 

Thus  arrayed,  the  chief  cook  invariably  passed  out  at 


424  BEOOLLECnONS   OF  WASim^OTON. 

the  front  door,  the  porter  making  a  low  bow,  which  was 
promptly  returned.  Joining  his  brother^loungers  of  the 
pave^  he  proceeded  up  Market  street,  attracting  consider^ 
able  attention,  that  street  being,  in  the  old  times,  the 
resort  where  fashionables  "  did  most  congregate/*  Many 
were  not  a  little  surprised  on  beholding  so  extraordinary 
a  personage,  while  others  who  knew  him  would  make  a 
formal  and  respectfiil  bow,  that  they  might  receive  in 
return  the  salute  of  one  of  the  most  polished  gentlemen 
and  the  veriest  dandy  of  nearly  sixty  years  ago. 

The  coachman,  John  Fagan,  by  birth  a  Hessian,  was 
tall  and  burly  in  person,  and  an  accomplished  coachman 
in  every  respect  He  understood  the  mechanism  of  a 
carriage,  and  could  take  to  pieces  and  put  together  again 
all  the  parts,  should  he  meet  with  any  accident  on  his 
road.  He  drove  for  the  president  throughout  his  whole 
tour  of  the  then  southern  states,  from  Mount  Vernon  to 
Savannah,  and  by  Augusta  and  the  interior  of  South  and 
North  Carolina^  in  the  white  chariot  built  by  Clarke,  of 
Philadelphia,  without  the  slightest  accident  or  misfortune 
happening  in  so  long  a  journey.* 

On  the  president's  return  Clarke  was  in  attendance  to 
learn  the  success  of  what  he  deemed  his  master-piece  of 
coach-making.  No  sooner  had  the  horses  stopped  at  the 
door  of  the  presidential  mansion  than  the  anxious  coach- 
maker  was  under  the  body  of  the  white  chariot,  examin- 
ing everything  with  a  careful  and  critical  eye,  till  Fagan 
shouted  from  the  box,  ^All  right,  Mr.  Clarke;  all  right, 

*  Washington  visited  the  soathera  states  in  the  spring  of  1791.  He  set  out  from 
Mount  Vernon  early  in  April,  and  was  absent  three  months,  daring  which  time  he 
performed  a  joorney  of  aboat  nineteen  hundred  miles,  with  the  same  span  of  hones. 
He  followed  the  seaboard  as  nearly  as  possible  to  Savannah,  visited  Augusta, 
and  returned  by  way  of  the  interior  of  the  Carolinas  and  Vii^nia. 


WASHINGTOlfS  HOME  AND  HOUSEHOLD.  425 

fiir ;  not  a  bolt  or  screw  started  in  a  long  journey  and 
over  the  devil's  own  roads."  The  delighted  mechanic 
now  found  his  hand  grasped  in  that  of  the  president,  who 
complimented  him  upon  his  workmanship,  assuring  him 
that  it  been  suflficiently  tested  in  a  great  variety  of  very 
bad  roads.  Clarke,  the  happiest  of  men,  repaired  to  his 
shop,  in  Sixth  street^  where  he  informed  his  people  of  the 
success  of  the  white  chariot,  the  accoimt  of  which  he  had 
received  from  the  president's  own  lips,  when  the  day 
ended  in  a  jollification  at  the  coachmaker's. 

John  Kruse  succeeded  Fagan.  He  was  a  steady,  es- 
timable man,  and  having  been  bred  in  the  Austrian 
cavalry,  was  perfectly  conversant  with  horses.  He  was 
an  excessive  smoker,  his  meerschaum  never  being  out  of 
his  mouth,  except  at  meals  or  on  the  coach-box. 

The  stables  consisted  of  ten  coach  and  saddle  horses, 
and  the  two  white  chargers,  a  coachman  and  two  grooms. 
Of  the  chargers  the  one  usually  rode  by  the  chief  was 
named  Prescoit  He  was  a  fine  parade  horse,  purely  white, 
and  sixteen  hands  high.  He  was  indifierent  to  the  fire 
of  artillery,  the  waving  of  banners,  and  the  clang  of  mar- 
tial instruments,  but  had  a  very  bad  habit  of  dancing 
about  on  the  approach  of  a  carriage,  a  habit  very  annoy- 
ing to  his  rider,  who  although  a  master  in  horsemanship, 
preferred  to  ride  as  quietly  as  possible,  especially  when, 
during  his  Saturday's  ride,  he  would  meet  with  carriages 
containing  ladies,  it  being  customary  with  them  to  order 
their  coachman  to  stop  and  let  down  their  glasses,  that 
the  president  might  approach  to  pay  his  compliments. 

The  other  charger  was  named  Jackson^  from  the  circum- 
stance of  his  having  run  away  with  Major  Jackson,  aid-de- 
camp to  the  president,  when  coming  into  Princeton,  en 


426  KECOLUBCnOKS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

route  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia,  in  1790,  to  the  sad 
discomfiture  of  the  major,  and  the  no  little  amusement 
of  the  chief  and  the  brilliant  coHige  of  gallant  cavaliers 
with  which  he  was  attended.  Jackson  was  a  superb  an- 
imal, purely  white,  with  flowing  main  and  tail.  He  was 
of  a  fierce  and  fiery  temperament^  and,  when  mounted, 
moved  with  mouth  open,  champing  the  bit^  his  nostrils 
distended,  and  his  Arab  eye  flashing  fire.  Washington, 
disliking  a  fretful  horse,  rarely  rode  this  fine  but  impet- 
uous animal,  while  Kruse,  whose  duty  it  was  to  accom- 
pany the  president  when  on  horseback,  had  had  diverse 
combats  with  the  fiery  charger,  in  several  of  which,  it 
was  said  the  old  Austrian  dragoon  came  ofT  rather  second 
best  When  putting  on  the  housings  and  caparison  for  die 
chief  to  lide  Jackson,  Kruse  would  say,  ^  Ah,  ha,  my  fine 
fellow,  you'll  have  your  match  to-day,  and  I  know  you'll 
take  care  to  behave  yourself."  In  fact,  the  noble  horse 
had  felt  the  power  of  Washington's  stalwart  arm,  a  power 
that  could  throw  a  horse  upon  his  haunches  in  a  single 
moment,  and  the  sagacious  animal  quailed  before  a  fierce 
not  easily  resisted  nor  soon  forgotten. 

Among  the  coach-horses  were  a  pair  of  beautiful  blood 
bays,  bred  at  Mount  Vernon  from  the  celebrated  stallion 
MagnoUa.  These  thorough-breds  were  the  pets  of  the 
stables,  and  always  drew  the  coach  when  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton paid  her  visits  in  Philadelphia.  One  day,  but  for  the 
courage  and  presence  of  mind  of  a  servant,  a  serious 
catastrophe  would  have  occurred.  Mrs.  Washington  and 
her  grand-daughter*  were  just  seated  in  the  coach,  and 
James  Hurley  (a  native  of  Ireland)  was  putting  up  the 
step,  when,  the  day  being  warm,  and  the  flies  trouble- 

*  Eleanor  Parke  Castis. 


WASHmOTON'S  HOME  AND   HOUSEHOLD.  427 

some,  one  of  the  horses  rubbed  off  his  bridle.  The  coach- 
man, of  course,  sat  powerless  on  his  box.  The  affrighted 
animal  at  first  stared  wildly  about  him,  and  was  in  the 
act  of  springmg  forward,  when  Hurley,  perceiving  the 
imminent  danger,  with  a  presence  of  mind  equalled  by 
his  courage,  grappled  the  animal  around  the  neck,  and 
amid  his  furious  and  maddening  plunges  clung  to  him, 
'and  so  encumbered  him  with  the  weight  of  a  heavy  man 
that  the  passengers  in  the  street  were  enabled  to  come  to 
the  rescue,  when  the  bridle  was  replaced,  and  the  car- 
riage drove  off. 

The  president  was  inuch  gratified  when  inspecting  his 
stables  at  Philadelphia.  .  They  were  large  and  roomy, 
and  everjrthing  in  and  about  them  in  the  most  perfect 
order ;  the  grooming  of  the  horses  superb,  such  as  the 
;modems  can  have  no  idea  of.'^ 

Washington,  as  we  have  elsewhere  observed,  was  the 
most  punctual  of  men.  To  this  admirable  quality,  and 
the  one  equally  admirable  of  rising  at  four  o'clock  and 
retiring  to  rest  at  nine  at  all  seasons,  this  great  man 
owed  his  being  able  to  accomplish  mighty  labors  during 
a  long  and  illustrious  life.  He  was  punctual  in  every- 
thing, and  made  every  one  punctual  about  him. 

During  his  memorable  journey  through  the  southern 
portion  of  the  union,  he  had,  before  setting  of^  arranged 
all  the  stages  for  the  whole  route ;  the  ferries,  the  inns, 
the  hour  of  arriving  at  and  departing  from  each,  were  all 
duly  calculated,  and  punctually  did  the  white  chariot 
arrive  at  all  its  appointments,  except  when  prevented  by 
high  waters  or  excessively  bad  roads.f 

*  See  note  on  page  397. 

t  Thinking  that  the  public  service  might  require  communications  to  be  made  to 


428  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  WASHINOTON. 

His  punctuality  on  that  long  journey  astonished  every 
one.  The  trumpet  call  of  the  cavalry  had  scarcely  ceased 
its  echoes  when  a  vidette  would  he  seen  coming  in  at 
full  speed,  and  the  cry  resound  far  and  wide,  ^  He 's  com- 
ing!" Scarcely  would  the  artillery-men  unlimber  the 
cannon,  when  the  order  would  be  given,  ^  Light  your 
matches,  the  white  chariot  is  in  full  view !" 

Revolutionary  veterans,  hurried  from  all  directions 
once  more  to  greet  their  beloved  chief  They  called  it 
marching  to  headquarters ;  and  as  the  dear  glorious  old 
fellows  would  overtake  their  neighbors  and  friends,  they 
would  say,  ^  Push  on,  my  boys,  if  you  wish  to  see  him ; 
for  we,  who  ought  to  know,  can  assure  you  that  he  is 
never  behind  time,  but  always  punctual  to  the  moment** 

It  was  thus  that  Washington  performed  his  memorable 
tour  of  the  United  States — everywhere  received  with 
heartfelt  homage  that  the  love,  veneration,  and  gratitude 
of  a  whole  people  could  bestow ;  and  there  is  no  doubt 
yet  living  a  gray  head  who  can  tell  of  the  time  when  he 
gallantly  rode  to  some  village  or  inn  on  the  long-remem- 
bered route  to  hail  the  arrival  of  the  white  chariot^  and 
join  in  the  joyous  welcome  to  the  Father  of  his  Country. 
^  And  equally  punctual  in  his  engagements  was  this  re- 
Biarkable  man  nearer  home.  To  the  review,  the  theatre, 
or  the  ball-room  he  repaired  precisely  at  the  appointed 

him  daring  his  absence,  Washington  wrote  a  letter  to  the  head  of  each  department, 
in  which  he  designated  the  places  that  he  should  be  at  on  certain  days.  "  I  sh{dl 
be,"  he  said,  "  on  the  eighth  of  April  at  Fredericksbarg ;  the  eleventh,  at  Richmond ; 
the  foarteenth,  at  Petersbnrgh;  the  sixteenth,  at  Halifax;  the  eighteenth,  at  Tar- 
borongh;  the  twentieth,  at  Newtown;  the  twenty-fourth,  at  Wilmington;  the 
twenty-ninth,  at  Georgetown,  South  Carolina ;  on  the  second  of  May,  at  Charleston, 
halting  there  fire  days ;  on  the  eleventh,  at  Savannah,  halting  there  two  days.  Thence 
leaving  the  line  of  march,  I  shall  proceed  to  Augusta;  and,  according  to  the  infor- 
mation which  I  may  receive  there,  my  retam  by  an  upper  road  will  be  regnlated." 


WASHINQTON'S  HOBfE  AND  HOUSEHOLD.  429 

time.  The  manager  of  the  theatre,  waiting  on  the  pres- 
ident to  request  him  to  command  a  play,  was  asked,  ^  At 
what  time,  Mr.  Wignell,  does  your  curtain  rise  V  The 
manager  replied, "  Seven  o'clock  is  the  hour,  but  of  course 
the  curtain  will  not  rise  till  your  excellency's  arrival.'' 
The  president  observed,  ^  I  will  be  punctual,  sir,  to  the 
time ;  nobody  waits  a  single  moment  for  me."  And,  sure 
enough,  precisely  at  seven,  the  noble  form  of  Washing- 
ton was  seen  to  enter  the  stage  box,  amid  the  acclama- 
tions of  the  audience  and  the  music  of  the  President's 
March. 

In  the  domestic  arrangement  of  the  presidential  man- 
sion, the  private  dinner  was  served  at  three  o'clock,  the 
public  one  at  four.  The  drawing-room  commenced  at 
seven,  and  ended  at  a  little  past  ten.  The  levee  began 
at  three  and  ended  at  four.  On  the  public  occasions  the 
company  came  within  a  very  short  time  of  each  other,  and 
departed  in  the  same  manner.  ^  The  president  is  pimc- 
tual,"  said  everybody,  and  everybody  became  punctual. 

On  the  great  national  days  of  the  fourth  of  July  and 
twenty-second  of  February,  the  salute  from  the  then 
head  of  Market  street  (Eighth  street)  announced  the  open- 
ing of  the  levee.  Then  was  seen  the  venerable  corps  of 
the  Cincinnati  marching  to  pay  their  respects  to  their 
president-general,  who  received  them  at  headquarters, 
and  in  the  uniform  of  the  commander-in-chief  This 
veteran  band  of  the  Revolution  had  learned  punctuality 
from  their  general  in  the  ^  times  that  tried  men's  souls ;" 
for  no  sooner  had  the  thunder-peals  of  Colonel  Proctor's 
twelve-pounders  caused  the  windows  to  rattle  in  Market 
street  than  this  venerable  body  of  the  Cincinnati  were 
in  full  march  for  the  headquarters.    And  as  soon  as  the 


430  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

first  gun  would  be  heard,  a  venerable  citizen  was  seen  to 
leave  his  office,  and  moving  at  a  more  than  usual  pace, 
ascend  the  steps  of  the  presidential  mansion.  He  gave 
in  no  name — he  required  no  ceremony  of  introduction — 
but,  making  his  way  to  the  family  parlor,  opened  the 
general  gratulation  by  the  first  welcome  of  Robert  Morris. 
A  fine  volunteer  corps,  called  the  light-infantry,  fix)m 
the  famed  light-infantry  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  com- 
manded by  Lafayette,  mounted  a  guard  of  honor  at 
headquarters  during  the  levee  on  the  national  daysL 
When  it  was  about  to  close,  the  soldiers,  headed  by  their 
sergeants,  marched  with  trailed  arms  and  noiseless  step 
through  the  hall  to  a  spot  where  huge  bowls  of  punch 
had  been  prepared  for  their  refreshment,  when,  after 
quaffing  a  deep  carouse,  with  three  hearty  cheers  to  <he 
health  of  the  president,  they  countermarched  to  the 
street,  the  bands  struck  up  the  favorite  air,  "forward" 
was  the  word,  and  the  levee  was  ended.* 

*  In  the  year  1790,  according  to  the  following;  sketch,  taken  finom  an  old  num- 
ber of  the  London  New  Monthly  Magazinef  an  appreciating  English  gentleman  Tisited 
the  president.  The  sketch  has  been  attributed  to  the  pen  of  Hazlitt :  "  I  remember 
mj  father  telling  me  he  was  introduced  to  Washington,  in  1790,  by  an  American 
friend.  A  sen^ant,  well-looking  and  well-dressed,  received  the  yisitants  at  the  door, 
and  by  him  they  were  delirered  oyer  to  an  officer  of  the  United  States'  service,  who 
nshered  them  into  the  drawing-room,  in  which  Mrs.  Washington  and  several  ladies 
weie  seated.  There  was  nothing  remarkable  in  the  person  of  the  lady  of  the  pres- 
ident; she  was  matronly  and  kind,  with  perfect  good-breeding;  she  at  once  entered 
into  easy  conversation,  asked  how  long  he  bad  been  in  America,  how  he  liked  the 
country,  and  such  other  familiar,  but  general  questions.  In  a  few  minutes  the  gen- 
eral was  in  the  room ;  it  was  not  necessary  to  announce  his  name,  for  his  peculiar 
appearance,  his  firm  forehead,  Roman  nose,  and  a  projection  of  the  lower  Jaw,  his 
height  and  figure,  could  not  be  mistaken  by  any  one  who  had  seen  a  f\ill-]engtb  pic- 
ture of  him,  and  yet  no  picture  accurately  resembled  him  in  the  minute  traits  of  his 
person.  His  features,  however,  were  so  marked  by  prominent  characteristics,  which 
appear  in  all  likenesses  of  him  that  a  stranger  could  not  be  mistaken  in  the  man ;  he 
was  remarkably  dignified  in  his  manners,  and  had  an  air  of  benignity  over  bis  fbaturea 
which  his  visitant  did  not  expect,  being  rather  prepared  for  sternness  of  countenance. 


washinqton's  home  and  household.  431 

^  Old  times  are  changed^  old  manners  gone.'"    True, 
we  have  become  a  mighty  empire  in  extent,  wealth,  and 

"  After  an  introduction  bj  Mn .  Washington,  without  more  form  than  common 
good  mannei-8  prescribes,  '  he  requested  me/  said  my  father,  '  to  be  seated ;  and, 
taking  a  chair  himself,  entered  at  once  into  conversation.  His  manner  was  full  of 
afFabilitj.  He  asked  how  I  liked  the  country,  the  city  of  New  York :  talked  of  the 
infant  institutions  of  America,  and  the  advantages  she  offered,  by  her  intercourse, 
for  benefitting  other  nations.  He  was  grave  in  manner,  but  perfectly  easy.  His 
dress  was  of  purple  satin.  There  was  a  commanding  air  in  his  appearance  which 
excited  respect,  and  forbade  too  great  a  freedom  towards  him,  independently  of  that 
species  of  awe  which  is  always  felt  in  the  moral  influence  of  a  g^at  character.  In 
every  movement,  too,  there  was  a  polite  gracefulness  equal  to  any  met  with  in  the 
most  polished  individuals  in  Europe,  and  his  smile  was  extraordinarily  attractive. 
It  was  observed  to  me  that  there  was  an  expression  in  Washington's  face  that  no 
pmnter  had  succeeded  in  taking.  It  struck  me  no  man  could  be  better  formed  for 
command.  A  stature  of  six  feet,  a  robust,  but  well-proportioned  frame,  calculated 
to  sustain  fatigue,  vrithout  that  heaviness  which  generally  attends  great  muscular 
strength,  and  abates  active  exertion,  displayed  bodily  power  of  no  mean  standard. 
A  light  eye  and  full — the  very  eye  of  genius  and  reflection,  rather  than  of  blind  pas- 
nonate  impulse.  His  nose  appeared  thick,  and  though  it  befitted  his  other  features, 
was  too  coarsely  and  strongly  formed  to  be  the  handsomest  of  its  class.  His  mouth 
was  like  no  other  that  I  ever  sow ;  the  lips  firm,  and  the  under-jaw  seeming  to  grasp 
the  upper  with  force,  as  if  its  muscles  were  in  full  action  when  he  sat  still.  Neither 
with  the  general  nor  with  Mrs.  Washington  was  there  the  slightest  restraint  of  cere- 
mony. There  was  less  of  it  than  I  ever  recollect  to  have  met  with,  where  perfect 
good-breeding  and  manners  were  at  the  same  time  observed.  To  many  remarks 
Washington  assented  with  a  smile  or  inclination  of  the  head,  as  if  he  were  by  nature 
sparing  in  his  conversation,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  this  was  the  case.  An  allu- 
sion was  made  to  a  serious  fit  of  illness  he  had  recently  suffered ;  but  he  took  no 
notice  of  it.  I  could  not  help  remarking,  that  America  must  have  looked  with 
imxiety  to  the  termination  of  his  indisposition.  He  made  no  reply  to  my  compli- 
ment but  by  an  inclination  of  the  head.  His  bow  at  my  taking  leave  I  shall  never 
forget.  It  was  the  last  movement  which  I  saw  that  illustrious  character  make,  as 
roy  eyes  took  their  leave  of  him  for  ever,  and  it  hangs  a  perfect  picture  upon  my 
recollection.  The  house  of  Washingion  was  in  the  Broadway,  and  the  street  front 
was  handsome.  The  drawing-room  in  which  I  sat  was  lofty  and  spacious ;  but  the 
furniture  was  not  beyond  that  found  in  dwellings  of  opulent  Americans  in  general, 
and  might  be  called  plain  for  its  situation,  llie  upper  end  of  the  room  had  glass 
doors,  which  opened  upon  a  balcony,  commanding  an  extensive  view  of  the  Hudson 
river,  interspersed  with  ifilands,  and  the  Jersey  shore  on  the  opposite  side.  A  grand- 
son and  daughter  resided  constantly  in  the  house  with  the  general,  and  a  nephew  of 
the  general's,  married  to  a  niece  of  Mrs.  Washington,  resided  at  Mount  Yemon,  the 
general's  family-seat  in  Yiiginia ;  his  residence,  as  president,  keeping  him  at  the 


432  RECOLLECnONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

population ;  but  where,  Americans,  is  the  spirit  of  *76, 
the  glorious  and  immortal  spirit  that  dignified  and  ad- 
orned the  early  days  of  the  republic  and  the  age  of 
Washington  ?  Shall  it  decline  and  die  among  us  ?  Swear 
on  the  altar  of  your  liberty  that  it  shall  live  for  ever ! 

seat  of  gOTeramont'  The  loTeet  held  by  WMhington,  as  president^  were  general] j 
crowded,  and  held  on  Tnesday,  between  three  and  four  o'clock.  The  president 
stood,  and  received  the  how  of  the  person  presented,  who  retired  to  make  way  for 
another.  At  the  drawing-room,  Mrs.  Washington  receired  the  ladies,  who  ooartesied, 
and  passed  aside  without  exchanging  a  word.  Tea  and  ooffse,  with  refrethmenu 
of  all  kinds,  were  laid  in  one  part  of  the  rooms,  and  before  the  indiTidnals  of  the 
company  retired,  each  ladj  was  a  second  time  led  up  to  the  ladj-president,  made 
her  second  silent  obeisance,  and  departed.  Nothing  could  be  more  simple,  yet  it 
was  enough." 


IHB  RKTIRBD  PBSBIDENT.  43»^ 


CHAPTER  XXIL 

THE  BEnUED   PRESIDENT. 

WAsmvQTov  Skibb  vmoii  thb  VtoBBSDMKOT—  Imauouxatxon  of  Mb.  Adamb— ABBAXOxmirr 
OF  WAsnnroToii^  Lbrbbs  and  Fafbbs— Albbbt  Rawlins  bmplotbd  to  Copt  Lbttbbs— 

PVBLIOATIOV  of  FbITATB  MbMOXBS  OF  WASHINGTON  FOSTPONBD -- ClIABACTBB  OF  SOXB  OF 

ram  Iattbbs  oopxbd — Thb  Old  Family  Yavlt— Sm  fob  a  Nbw  Onb  sblbotbd  bt  Wash- 
nroTOB— Disposition  of  Wasuington^  Bbxains  — TnB  Dbsibbs  of  tub  Ootbbhxbmt— 
Hbs.  Wasbinotor^B  Wish— Washington's  Impbotbhbnt  of  his  Fabms— A  Pobtbait  of 
SUB  Fabmbb  at  Mount  Ybbnon— His  Daily  Bidbs^Honobs  and  Complixbntb— Fbbncb 
SnOBAMTS  AT  MouNT  Ybbnon  —  O.  W.  Lafatbttb — Bbpaibs  of  thb  Mansion — Bn  Jom 
BnoLAiB— Mabbiaob  at  Movnt  Ybbnon  in  1799— Billy— Washington's  Last  Yisxts  to 
AixxANDBiA— Hb  Dihbs  thbbb— Hib  Last  Bbtibw — Eybninos  at  Mount  Ybbnon— 
Washington  no  longbb  a  Spobtbman  —  Fatbbb  Jack —Tom  Datis — Bbflbotions. 

On  the  fourth  of  March,  1797,  Washington,  as  a  pri- 
vate citizen,  attended  the  dignified  ceremonials  of  the 
inauguration  of  his  successor,  John  Adams  f  and  during 

*  On  that  occasion,  there  was  a  dense  crowd  in  the  house  of  representatives  to  wit- 
ness the  ceremony  of  the  inanguration  of  a  new  president.  The  Congress,  daring 
the  residence  of  the  federal  government  in  Philadelphia,  held  their  sessions  in  the 
ooarthoase,  on  the  comer  of  Sixth  and  Chestnut  streets ;  and  the  hall  of  the  repre- 
sentatires  is  thus  described  by  a  cotemporary  writer :  "  The  house  of  reprosentatires, 
in  session,  occupied  the  ground  floor.  There  was  a  platform  elevated  three  steps, 
plainly  carpeted,  and  covering  nearly  the  whole  of  the  area,  with  a  limited  prome- 
nade for  the  members  and  privileged  persons ;  and  foar  narrow  desks  between  the 
Sixth-street  windows,  for  the  stenographers,  Lloyd,  Gales,  Callender,  and  Duano. 
The  speaker's  chair,  without  canopy,  was  of  plain  leather  and  brass  nails,  facing  the 
east,  at  or  near  the  centre  of  the  western  wall." 

At  the  appointed  hour,  Washington  entered  the  hall  amidst  the  most  enthusiastic 
cbeen,  and  was  so«n  followed  by  Mr.  Adams,  the  president  elect,  who  was  about  to 
take  the  oath  of  office.  When  they  were  seated,  perfect  silence  prevailed,  Wash- 
ington then  arose,  and  with  great  dignity  introduced  Mr.  Adams  to  the  audience, 
and  proceeded  to  read,  in  a  firm  clear  voice,  a  brief  valedictory ;  not  the  great  "  Fare- 
well Address,"  for  that  was  published  six  months  before. 

28 


4«54  BECQUECnONS  OF  WAfimNCPTON. 

the  preparations  for  his  departure  from  the  seat  of  gov- 
eminent,  the  ex-president  enjoyed  an  interchange   of 

Mn.  Sasan  B.  Echard,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Bead,  now  (1859)  Uying  in  PhiU 
adelphia,  at  the  sf^  of  eighty-three  yeara,  was  present  on  this  interesting  oocasion, 
and  in  a  letter  to  a  kinsman,  giren  below,  has  described  the  scene.  It  may  be  in- 
teresting to  know  that  the  memory  of  Mr.  Bembrandt  Peale,  who,  two  years  before, 
had  painted  Washington's  portrait,  from  life,  and  who  was  also^  present  in  the  gal- 
lery on  that  occasion,  folly  agrees  with  that  of  Mrs.  Echard. 

Mrs.  Echard  remarks :  "  When  Qeneral  Washington  delivered  his  '  FareweU 
Address,'  in  the  room  at  the  soatheast  comer  of  Chestnnt  and  Sixth  streets,  I  sat 
immediately  in  front  of  him.  It  was  in  the  room  Congress  occupied.  The  table  of 
the  speaker  was  between  the  two  windows  on  Sixth  street.  The  danghter  of  Dr.  C, 
[Craik]  of  Alexandria,  the  physician  and  intimate  friend  of  Washington,  Mrs.  H., 
[Harrison]  whose  husband  was  the  auditor,  was  a  very  dear  friend  of  mine.  Her 
brother  Washington  was  one  of  the  secretaries  of  General  Washington.  Young 
Dandridge,  a  nephew  of  Mrs.  Washington,  was  the  other.  I  was  indnded  in  Mn. 
H.'s  party,  to  witness  the  august,  the  solemn  scene.  Mr.  H.  declined  going  with 
Mrs.  H.,  as  she  had  determined  to  go  early,  so  as  to  secure  the  front  bench.  It  was 
fortunate  for  Miss  C,  [Costis]  (afterwards  Mrs.  L.)  [Lewis]  that  she  could  not  trust 
herself  to  be  so  near  her  honored  grandfather.  My  dear  father  stood  very  near  her. 
She  was  terribly  agitated.  There  was  a  narrow  passage  from  the  door  of  entrance 
to  the  room,  which  was  on  the  east,  diTiding  the  rows  of  benches.  General  Wash- 
ington stopped  at  the  end  to  let  Mr.  Adams  pass  to  the  chair.  The  latter  always 
wore  a  hXl  suit  of  bright  drab,  with  lash  or  loose  cuffs  to  his  coat.  He  always  wore 
wrist  ruffles.  He  bad  not  changed  hie  fashions.  He  was  a  short  man,  with  a  good 
head.  With  his  family  he  attended  our  church  twice  a  day.  General  Washington's 
dress  was  a  full  suit  of  black.  HIb  military  hat  had  the  black  cockade.  There 
stood  the  '  Father  of  his  Country,'  acknowledged  by  nations — the  first  in  war,  first 
in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen.  No  marshals  with  gold-colored 
scar£i  attended  him— there  was  no  cheering^- no  noise;  the  most  profound  silence 
greeted  him,  as  if  the  great  assembly  desired  to  hear  him  breathe,  and  catch  his 
breath  in  homage  of  their  hearts.  Mr.  Adams  covered  his  face  with  both  his  bands ; 
the  sleeves  of  his  coat,  and  his  hands,  were  covered  with  tears.  Evoiy  now  and 
then  there  was  a  suppressed  sob.  I  can  not  describe  Washington's  appearance  as  I 
felt  it --perfectly  composed  and  self-possessed,  till  the  close  of  his  address :  Then, 
when  strong  nervous  sobs  broke  loose,  when  tears  covered  the  faces,  then  the  great 
man  was  shaken.  I  never  took  my  eyes  from  his  face.  Laige  drops  came  from  his 
eyes.  He  looked  to  the  youthful  children  who  were  parting  with  their  father,  their 
friend,  a9  if  his  heart  was  with  them,  and  would  be  to  the  end." 

In  this  connection,  some  reminiscences  of  Washington,  and  the  Congress  at  Phil- 
adelphia, by  the  late  Beverend  Ashbel  Greene,  are  specially  interesting :  "  After  a 
great  deal  of  talking,  and  writing,  and  controversy,  about  the  permanent  seat  of 
Congress,  under  the  present  constitution,"  says  Mr.  Greene,  "it  was  determined 


THE  EETIBED  PRESIDENT.  435 

that  Philadelphia  shoald  he  honored  with  its  presence  for  ten  years,  and  that  after- 
wards its  permanent  location  should  be  in  the  City  of  Washington  where  it  now  is. 
In  the  meantime,  the  federal  city  was  in  building,  and  the  legislature  of  Pennsyl- 
Tania  voted  a  sum  of  money  to  bnild  a  house  for  the  president,  perhaps  with  some 
hope  that  this  might  help  to  keep  the  seat  of  the  general  government  in  the  capital — 
for  Philadelphia  was  then  considered  as  the  capital  of  the  state.  What  was  lately 
the  university  of  Pennsylvania,  was  the  structure  erected  for  this  purpose.  But  as 
soon  as  Qeneral  Washington  saw  its  dimensions,  and  a  good  while  before  it  was  fin- 
ished, he  let  it  be  known  that  he  would  not  occupy  —  that  he  should  certainly  not 
go  to  the  expense  of  purchasing  suitable  furniture  for  such  a  dwelling ;  for  it  is  to 
be  understood,  in  those  days  of  stem  republicanism,  nobody  thought  of  Congress 
Jumithing  the  president's  house ;  or,  if  perchance  such  a  thought  did  enter  into  some 
aristocratic  head,  it  was  too  unpopular  to  be  uttered. 

"  President  Washington,  therefore,  rented  a  house  of  Mr.  Robert  Morris,  in  Mar- 
ket street,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth  streets,  on  the  south  side,  and  furnished  it  hand- 
somely, but  not  gorgeously.  There  he  lived,  with  Mrs.  Washington ;  Mr.  Lear,  his 
private  secretary,  and  his  wife,  and  Mrs.  Washington's  grandchildren,  making  a 
part  of  the  family.  Young  Cnstis  had  a  private  tutor,  employed  by  the  president, 
who  was  engaged  to  attend  on  his  pupil  one  hour  in  the  ^  winter  mornings,  before 
break&st ;  and  who,  then,  commonly  breakfasted  with  the  president  and  his  family. 
The  president  ate  Indian  cakes  for  breakfast,  after  the  Virginia  fiuhion,  although 
buckwheat  cakes  were  generally  on  the  table.  Washington's  dining  parties  were 
entertained  in  a  very  handsome  style.  His  weekly  dining  day,  for  company,  was 
Thursday,  and  his  dining  hour  was  always  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  His  rule 
was  to  allow  five  minutes  for  the  variation  of  clocks  and  watches,  and  then  go  to  the 
table,  be  present  or  absent,  whoever  might.  He  kept  his  own  clock  in  the  hall,  just 
within  the  outward  door,  and  always  exactly  regulated.  When  lagging  members  of 
Congress  came  in,  as  they  often  did,  after  the  guests  had  sat  down  to  dinner,  the 
president's  only  apology  was,  '  Gentlemen  (or  sir),  we  are  too  punctual  for  you.  I 
have  a  cook  who  never  asks  whether  the  company  has  come,  but  whether  the  hour 
has  come.'  The  company  usually  assembled  in  the  drawing-room,  about  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes  before  dinner,  and  the  president  spoke  to  every  guest  personally  on 
entering  the  room. 

"  He  was  always  dressed  in  a  suit  of  black,  his  hahr  powdered,  and  tied  in  a  black 
queue  behind,  with  a  very  elegant  dress-sword,  which  he  wore  with  inimitable  grace. 
Mrs.  Washington  often,  but  not  always,  dined  with  the  company,  sat  at  the  head  of 
the  table,  and  if,  as  was  occasionally  the  case,  there  were  other  ladies  present,  they 
sat  each  side  of  her.  The  private  secretary  sat  at  the  foot  of  the  table,  and  was  ex- 
pected to  be  quietly  attentive  to  all  the  guests.  The  president  himself  sat  half-way 
from  the  head  to  the  foot  of  the  table,  and  on  that  side  he  would  place  Mrs.  Wash* 
ington,  though  distant  from  him,  on  his  right  hand.  He  always,  unless  a  clergy- 
man was  present  at  his  own  table,  asked  a  blessing,  in  a  standing  posture.  If  a 
clergyman  were  present,  he  was  requested  both  to  ask  a  blessing  and  to  return  thanks 
after  dinner.  The  centre  of  the  table  contained  five  or  six  laige  silver  or  plated 
waiters,  those  of  the  ends,  circular,  or  rather  oval  on  one  side,  so  as  to  make  the 


436  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASBmOTON. 

farewell  visits  with  those  in  Philadelphia,  whom  he  had 
known  so  long  and  loved  so  well.* 

On  Washington's  resignation  of  the  presidency,  one  of 
the  first  employments  of  his  retirement  as  a  private  citi- 
zen was  to  arrange  certain  letters  and  papers  for  posthu- 
mous publication.  With  this  view  he  wrote  to  General 
Spotswood,  in  Virginia,  to  select  a  young  man  of  respect- 
able family,  good  moral  habits,  and  superior  clerkly  skill, 
to  copy  into  a  large  book  certain  letters  and  papers  that 
would  be  prepared  for  such  purpose. 

Now,  these  letters  and  papers  were  by  no  means  of  an 
official  character ;  neither  did  they  come  within  the  range 
of  recollections  of  the  Revolution  or  of  the  constitutional 

arrangement  correspond  with  the  oval  shape  of  the  table.  The  waiters  between  the  end- 
pieces  were  in  the  form  of  parallelograms,  the  ends  about  one-third  part  of  the  length 
of  the  sides ;  and  the  whole  of  these  waiters  were  filled  with  alabaster  figures,  taken 
from  the  ancient  mythology,  bat  none  of  them  such  as  to  offend,  in  the  smallest  de- 
gree, against  delicacy.  On  the  outside  of  the  oval,  formed  by  the  waiters,  were 
placed  the  various  dishes,  always  without  covers ;  and  outside  the  dishes  were  the 
plates.  A  small  roll  of  bread,  enclosed  in  a  napkin,  was  laid  by  the  side  of  each 
plate.  The  president,  it  is  believed,  generally  dined  on  one  dish,  and  that  of  a  very 
simple  kind.  If  offered  something,  either  in  the  first  or  second  course,  which  was 
very  rich,  his  usual  reply  was  — "  That  is  too  good  for  me."  He  had  a  silver  pint 
cup  or  mug  of  beer,  placed  by  his  plate,  which  he  drank  while  dining.  He  took  one 
glass  of  wine  during  dinner,  and  commonly  one  after.  He  then  retired  (the  ladies 
having  gone  a  little  before  him),  and  left  his  secretary  to  superintend  the  table,  tni 
the  wine-bibbers  of  Congress  had  satisfied  themselves  with  drinking.  His  wines 
were  alway  the  best  that  could  be  obtained.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  order  with 
which  his  table  was  served.  Every  servant  knew  what  be  was  to  do,  and  did  it  in 
the  most  quiet  and  yet  rapid  manner.  The  dishes  and  plates  were  removed  and 
changed,  with  a  silence  and  speed  that  seemed  like  enchantment'' 

*  On  the  day  preceding  the  inauguration,  Washington  gave  a  kind  of  flunewell 
dinner,  to  which  the  foreign  ministers  and  their  wives,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams,  Mr. 
Jefferson,  and  Mr.  Morris,  were  invited.  Bishop  White,  who  was  present,  says,  that 
when  the  cloth  was  removed,  Washington  filled  his  glass  and  said :  "Ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen, this  is  the  last  time  I  shall  drink  your  health  as  a  public  man ;  I  do  it  inth 
sincerity,  wishing  you  all  possible  happiness."  These  words  affected  the  company 
very  much,  and  the  wife  of  Mr.  Linn,  the  British  minister,  wept  so  that  the  tears 
streamed  down  her  cheeks. 


THE  KSTIRED   PRESIDENT.  437 

government;  they  were  more  especieOllj  pnvaiey  and  could 
with  propriety  be  termed  Passages^  Personal  and  EzpJanor 
Uny,  in  the  Ltfe  and  Correspondence  of  George  WasJmgton. 

General  Spotswood  selected  a  young  man  named 
Albin  Rawlins,  of  a  respectable  family  in  the  county  of 
Caroline,  and  well  qualified  for  the  duties  he  was  to  per- 
form. He  soon  after  arrived  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  en- 
tered upon  his  employment 

The  letters  were  delivered  to  Bawlins  by  the  chief  in 
person,  were  carefully  returned  to  him  when  copied,  and 
others  delivered  out  for  copying.  As  the  duties  of  the 
derk  lasted  for  a  considerable  time,  very  many  of  the 
most  interesting  and  valuable  letters  that  Washington 
ever  wrote  or  received  were  copied  into  the  RawUns* 
Book.  While  we  repeat  that  these  letters  were  not  of  an 
official  character,  we  must  observe  that  they  were  writ- 
ten to  and  received  from  some  the  most  illustrious  pub- 
lic men  who  flourished  in  the  age  of  Washington,  and 
shed  more  light  upon  the  true  character  of  the  men  and 
things  of  that  distinguished  period  than  any  letters  or 
papers  that  ever  were  written  and  published. 

Washington  postponed  the  arrangement  for  publica- 
tion of  his  private  memoirs  to  the  last ;  all  such  matters 
lay  dormant  during  the  long  and  meritorious  career  of 
his  public  services.  It  was  only  when  retired  amid  the 
shades  of  Mount  Vernon  that  he  thought  of  self,  and  de- 
termined in  his  latter  days  that  nothing  should  be  left 
undone  to  give  to  his  country  and  the  world  a  fair  and 
just  estimate  of  his  life  and  actions.* 

*  Applications  were  made  to  Washington,  soon  after  the  war,  for  materials  for  a 
biography  of  himself,  bat  he  discouraged  every  attempt  to  write  an  account  of  his 
life,  except  as  it  came  incidentally  into  the  general  history  of  the  time  in  which  he 
lived.    He  well  knew  that  such  a  biography  would  be  written  at  some  time,  and  was 


438  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTOK. 

A  portion  of  the  letters  of  the  Rawlins'  Book  were  of 
a  delicate  character,  seeing  that  they  involved  the  repu- 
tation of  the  writers  as  consistent  patriots  and  men  of 
honor.  These  letters  are  no  tohere  to  be  found.  But,  althpugh 
the  veil  of  mystery  has  been  drawn  over  the  hst  Utters 
of  the  BawUns*  Book  that  time  or  circumstance  can  never 
remove,  our  readers  may  rest  assured  that  there  is  not  a 
line,  nay,  a  word,  in  the  lost  letters  that  Washington 
wrote,  that,  were  he  living,  he  would  wish  to  revoke  or 
blot  out,  but  would  readily,  fearlessly  submit  to  the  peru- 
sal and  decision  of  his  countr3rmen  and  the  world. 

During  the  agitation  of  the  public  mind  that  grew  out 
of  the  subject  of  the  lost  letters  more  than  fifty  years 
ago,*  it  was  contended  that  the  rumors  were  groundless ; 
that  there  were  no  such  letters.  Faithful  to  our  purpose 
at  the  close  of  oiu*  labors,  as  the  commencement  of  our 
humble  work  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  to 
give  in  these  Becolkctions  only  of  what  we  saw,  and  only 
of  what  we  derived  from  the  undoubted  authority  of 
others,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  declare,  and  from  an  au- 
thority that  can  not  be  questioned,  that  there  were  such 
letters  as  those  described  as  the  Lost  Letters  of  the  Bow- 
Uns'  Book. 

The  ancient  family  vault  having  fallen  into  a  state  of 
decay,  the  chief  surveyed  and  marked  out  a  spot  for  a 
family  burial-place  during  the  last  days  at  Mount  Ver- 

anxioos  to  haye  his  papers  so  arranged,  as  to  be  easy  for  reference.  Perceiring 
also,  the  great  valae  of  well-arranged  public  papers,  Washington  made  a  contract, 
bj  authority  of  Congress,  in  May,  1781,  to  hare  all  of  his  official  papers  recorded  in 
Tolnmes.  He  appointed  Colonel  Richard  Vairick  to  superintend  that  labor,  and 
he,  with  three  or  four  assistants,  were  engaged  in  the  business  two  yean  and  a  half. 
*  This  chapter  was  first  published  in  the  Nationai  Intelligencer  on  the  twenty- 
«econd  of  February,  1854. 


THB  BEIIBXD  PBSSIDSNT.  439 

noxL"^  The  new  situation  is  peculiarly  unfavorable  and 
ill  chosen,  being  a  most  unpleasant  location  for  either 
the  living  or  the  dead.  The  executors,  conceiving  them- 
selves bound  by  the  provisions  of  the  will  to  erect  a 
burial  vault  on  the  spot  marked  out^  proceeded  to  do  so 
to  the  best  advantage ;  but  all  their  endeavors,  together 
with  the  labors  of  skilful  mechanics,  have  resulted  in  the 
tomb  of  Washington  being  universally  condemned  as 
unfit  for  and  unworthy  of  the  purpose  for  which  it  was 
intended,  while  it  serves  as  a  matter  of  reproach  to  the 
crowds  of  pilgrims  who  resort  thither  to  pay  homage  to 
the  fame  and  memory  of  the  Father  of  his  Country.f 

It  is  certain  that  Washington  never  gave  even  a  hint 
of  his  views  or  wishes  in  regard  to  the  disposition  of  his 
remains,  except  what  is  contained  in  his  will.  He  no 
doubt  believed  that  his  ashes  w^ould  be  claimed  as  national 
property,  and  be  entombed  with  national  honors ;  hence 
his  silence  on  a  subject  that  has  a^tated  the  American 
public  for  more  than  half  a  century.     On  the  decease  of 

*  The  following  is  a  clause  ia  Washington's  will :  '*  The  family  yanlt  at  Mount 
Vernon  requiring  repairs,  and  heing  improperl  j  situated  besides,  I  desire  that  a  new 
one  of  brick,  and  upon  a  laiger  scale,  may  be  built  at  the  foot  of  what  is  commonly 
called  the  Vineyard  Enclosure,  on  the  ground  which  is  marked  out ;  in  which  my 
rettidns,  with  those  of  my  deceased  relations  (now  in  the  old  rault),  and  such  others 
of  my  family  as  may  choose  to  be  entombed  there,  may  be  deposited.  And  it  is  my 
express  desire,  that  my  corpse  may  be  interred  in  a  private  manner,  without  parade 
or  funeral  oration/' 

t  The  new  yault  is  about  three  hundred  yards  southwest  from  the  mansion,  at  the 
foot  of  a  slope,  and  the  head  of  a  ravine  that  extends  to  the  shore  of  the  Potomac 
The  front  of  the  tomb  has  an  ante-chamber,  built  of  red  brick,  about  twelve  feet  in 
height,  with  a  large  iron  gateway.  This  was  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  two 
marble  coflns  (one  for  Washington  and  the  other  for  his  wife),  which  stand  within 
the  enelosnre)  in  full  riew  of  the  visiter.  Over  the  gateway,  upon  a  marble  slab^ 
are  the  words:  "Within  this  bncloburb  best  the  rbxaiks  of  Gbvbbal 
Obobob  WiAHiHOTOiT."    Over  the  vanlt  door,  inside,  are  the  words.    "I  am 

THB  BBeUBRBCTIOK  AWD  THB  LITB  ;  HB  THAT  BBLIBTBTH  IV  MB,  THOUGH  BB 
ITBBB  DBAD,  TBT  SHALL  HB  LITB." 


440  SECOLLECnONS  OF  WAfimNCHFON. 

the  chief,  the  high  authorities  of  the  nation  begged  his 
remains  for  public  interment  at  the  seat  of  the  national 
government.  They  were  granted  by  the  venerable  relict^ 
conditioned  that  her  own  remains  should  be  interred  by 
the  side  of  her  husband  in  the  national  tomb.  This 
memorable  compact,  so  solemn  in  itseli^  is  still  in  full 
force  and  binding  on  the  nation,  inasmuch  as  no  subse- 
quent authority  could  alter  or  annul  it 

On  the  faith  of  this  compact^  Colonel  Monroe,  when 
president  of  the  United  States,  ordered  two  crypts  or 
vaults  to  be  formed  in  the  basement  story  of  the  centre 
of  the  capitol  for  the  reception  of  the  remains  of  the 
chief  and  his  consort,  agreeably  to  the  arrangement  of 
1799,  which  vaults  are  untenanted  to  this  day. 

Surely  it  can  not  be  denied  that  Mrs.  Washington  had 
the  right,  the  only  rights  to  the  disposal  of  the  remains 
of  the  chief,  and  by  virtue  of  this  right  she  granted  them 
to  the  prayer  of  the'  nation  as  expressed  by  its  highest 
authority. 

On  her  deathbed  the  venerable  lady  called  the  author 
of  these  RecoUedwnSyh&t  grandson  and  executor,  to  her  side, 
and  said,  ^  Remember,  Washington,  to  have  my  remains 
placed  in  a  leaden  coffin,  that  they  may  be  removed  with 
those  of  the  general  at  the  command  of  the  government"* 

*  On  the  thirteenth  of  Febraary,  1832,  Mr.  Thomas,  of  LouUiana,  from  the  joint 
committee  of  the  two  bouses,  appointed  to  report  on  the  subject  of  the  Centennial 
anniversary  of  the  birthday  of  Gborqe  Washington,  reported  the  following  reso> 
Intion  : — 

"  Resdved,  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States  ofAmeriea, 
in  Congress  assembledt  That  the  President  of  the  Senate  and  Speaker  of  Uie  House  of 
Representatives  be  hereby  authorized  to  make  application  to  John  A.  Washington, 
of  Mount  Vernon,  for  the  body  of  Geoboe  Washington  to  be  removed  and  depos- 
ited in  the  Capitol,  at  Washington  City,  in  conformity  with  the  resolations  of  Con- 
gress of  the  twenty-third  December,  1799;  and  that,  if  they  obtain  the  nqnisitia 
consent  to  the  removal  thereof,  that  they  be  further  authorised  to  eanso  it  to  be 


THB  RETIBED   PBESIDENT.  441 

And  yet  we  hear  of  the  right  of  a  state !  No  one  state 
can  appropriate  to  itself  that  which  belongs  to  the  whole. 

remored  and  deposited  in  the  Capitol,  on  the  twentj-Becond  day  of  Febmary,  1852." 
The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  rMolattons  referred  to : — 

"  Beaolved,  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Bepreeentativee  of  the  United  Siatee  ofAmer^ 
iea  in  Congrete  auembled,  That  a  marble  monnment  be  erected  by  the  United  States, 
in  the  Capitol,  at  the  City  of  Washington,  and  that  the  family  of  General  Washing- 
ton be  requested  to  permit  his  body  to  be  deposited  under  it ;  and  that  the  monn- 
ment be  BO  designed  as  to  commemorate  the  great  events  of  his  military  and  political 
life. 

*'  And  be  iifurthm-  reedtfed,  That  the  President  of  the  United  States  be  requested 
to  direct  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  to  be  transmitted  to  Mrs.  Washington,  assoi'ing 
her  of  the  profound  respect  Congress  will  ever  bear  to  her  person  and  character ;  of 
Uieir  condolence  on  the  late  afflicting  dispensation  of  Providence ;  and  entreating 
her  assent  to  the  interment  of  the  remains  of  General  George  Washington  in  the 
manner  expressed  in  the  first  resolution." 

In  compliance  with  these  resolutions,  President  Adams  wrote  a  letter  to  Mrs. 
Washington  on  the  subject,  and  reoefved  the  following  reply  :— 

"Mount  Verkon,  December  31,  1799. 

"  Sir  :  While  I  feel,  with  keenest  anguish,  the  late  dispensation  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence, I  can  not  be  insensible  to  the  mournful  tributes  of  respect  and  veneration 
which  are  paid  to  the  memory  of  my  dear  deceased  husband ;  and,  as  his  best  sei^ 
rices  and  most  anxious  wishes  were  always  devoted  to  the  welfare  and  happiness 
of  his  country,  to  know  that  they  were  truly  appreciated  and  gratefully  remembered 
affords  no  inconsiderable  consolation. 

"  Taught  by  the  great  example  which  I  have  so  long  had  before  me,  never  to 
oppose  my  private  wishes  to  the  public  will,  I  must  consent  to  the  request  made  by 
Congress,  which  yon  have  had  the  goodness  to  transmit  to  me ;  and,  in  doing  this, 
I  need  not,  I  can  not,  say  what  a  sacrifice  of  individual  feeling  I  make  to  a  sense  of 
public  duty. 

"  With  grateful  acknowledgments,  and  unfeigned  thanks  for  the  personal  respect 
and  evidences  of  condolence  expressed  by  Congress  and  yourself,  I  remain,  very 
respectfully,  sir,  your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

"  Mabtha  Washington." 

President  Adams  transmitted  her  letter  to  Congress,  accompanied  by  the  follow* 
ing  message : — 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  Senate,  and  Gentlemen  of  the  House  of  Representatives  : 
"  In  compliance  with  the  request  in  one  of  the  resolutions  of  Congress  of  the 
23d  of  December  last,  I  transmitted  a  copy  of  those  resolutions,  by  my  secretary, 
Mr.  Shaw,  to  Mrs.  Washington,  assuring  her  of  the  profound  respect  Congress  will 
ever  bear  to  her  person  and  character ;  of  their  condolence  in  the  late  afflicting  dis- 
pensation of  Providence ;  and  entreating  her  assent  to  the  interment  of  the  remains 
of  General  George  Washington  in  the  manner  expressed  in  the  first  resolution.    As 


442  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WlSHmOTON. 

Of  the  glorious  Old  Thirteen,  little  Delaware  has  as  much 
right  to  the  remains  of  the  beloved  Washington  as  eitiier 

the  Bentimenu  of  that  rirtaons  lady,  not  leaf  beloved  by  this  nation  than  she  ia  at 
present  greatly  afflicted,  can  never  be  ao  well  expraaaed  aa  in  her  own  worda,  I 
transmit  to  Congreaa  her  original  letter. 

**  It  would  be  an  attempt  of  too  mnch  delicacy  to  make  any  commenia  apon  it ; 
bot  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  nation  at  large,  aa  well  aa  all  the  bnnchea  of  the 
goTemment,  will  be  highly  gratified  by  any  arrangement  which  may  diminish  the 
sacrifices  she  makes  of  her  individttal  feelings.  Johv  Adams. 

"  United  States,  January  6,  1800." 

The  resolutions  appended  to  the  report  submitted  by  Mr.  Thomas,  on  the  thir- 
teenth of  February,  1832,  elicited  a  warm  debate.  Some  of  the  members  from 
Yiiginia  opposed  the  measure.  Mr.  McCoy  declared  that  such  remoTal  would  be 
a  violation  of  the  sepulchre  of  the  dead ;  and  Mr.  Coke  desired  the  removal  of  the 
precious  remains  to  Richmond,  the  capital  of  Washington's  native  state.  In  reply 
to  these,  Edward  Everett,  of  Massachusetts,  remarked : — 

"  But  it  is  said,  we  are  going  to  violate  the  repose  of  the  dead ;  to  break  into  the 
sepulchre,  and  rifle  it  of  its  precious  deposite.  *Sir,  do  we  do  any  such  thing  %  Shall 
we  not  go  to  that  venerated  tomb  with  every  possible  warrant,  both  of  authority  and 
delicacy  ?  Was  not  the  consent  of  the  consort  of  the  Father  of  his  Country  obudned, 
at  a  moment  when  her  feelings  were  bleeding  under  the  recent  loss  of  the  illustrioos 
partner  of  her  life  ?  Fortified  with  her  consent,  deliberately  given,  and  at  that 
moment,  who  shall  question  the  right  or  the  propriety  of  the  procedure  ?  Violate 
the  repose  of  the  grave !  Sir,  we  are  discharging  toward  that  sacred  depository  a 
most  imperative  duty.  If  there  is  one  darker  spot  in  the  history  of  this  Union  than 
another,  it  is  that  we  have  left  so  long  unredeemed  the  solemn  pledge,  which  was 
given  by  the  people  of  America,  through  their  representatives  here,  in  the  fint 
moments  of  bereavement.  Violate  the  repose  of  the  dead  1  Sir,  we  are  going  to  pay 
a  tribute  of  respect  to  the  ashes  of  the  Father  of  his  Country,  such  as  the  history  of 
the  world  can  not  match  with  a  parallel.  If  this  resolution  is  adopted,  and  on  the 
S2d  of  February  the  remains  of  our  beloved  hero  and  patriot  shall  be  removed  from 
Mount  Vernon  to  this  capitol,  it  will  be  a  transaction  of  a  character  of  extraordinaiy 
solemnity,  grandeur,  and  interest.  Such  a  procession  as  will  be  formed  to  receive 
these  sacred  remains — the  multitudes  of  old  and  young — the  constituted  authorities 
of  the  nation,  the  citizens  of  this  district,  and  of  the  neighboring  region,  who  shall 
assemble  to  witness  the  awful  spectacle  of  the  remains  of  the  Father  of  his  Countiy, 
on  their  way  to  their  resting-place  beneath  the  foundations  of  this  capitol — all  this, 
sir,  will  constitute  a  transaction  unexampled  in  the  history  of  the  world  for  its  eflRscts 
on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  those  who  may  take  part  in  it  or  witness  it.  The  gentle- 
man (Mr.  Coke)  was  willing  to  open  the  sacred  portals  of  that  grave,  and  remove  its 
deposite,  not  indeed  to  this  capitol,  but  to  Richmond.  Now,  sir,  I  cbeeifnlly  admit, 
that  of  the  titles  of  Virginia  to  the  respect  and  consideration  of  her  sister  atatea,  it 
is  among  the  first  that  she  is  the  parent  of  our  Washington.  But  let  her  not  foi^get, 
that,  though  Washington  was  by  birth  a  native  of  the  colony  of  Virginia,  he  lived 


THB  RBTIRED   PRESIDENT.  44S 

of  her  larger  sisters ;  for,  though  small  in  size,  she  was 
great  in  value  in  "  the  times  that  tried  men's  souls,"  and, 
in  proportion  to  her  resources,  furnished  as  much  courage, 
privation,  and  blood  to  the  combats  of  liberty,  as  those 

and  died  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  of  America ;  united  more  bj  his  labors, 
counsels,  and  sacrifices,  than  those  of  any  other  individual.  The  sacred  remains 
are,  as  the  gentleman  well  said,  a  treasure  beyond  all  price,  but  it  is  a  treasure  of 
which  every  part  of  this  blood-cemented  Union  has  a  right  to  claim  its  share. 

"  The  gentleman  from  Virginia  (Mr.  McCoy)  asked,  if  we  begin  in  this  way, 
where  shall  we  end  ?  Sir,  I  wish  it  might  even  become  more  difficult  to  answer 
that  question.  I  wish  it  may  even  be  hard  to  say,  where  shall  we  end  with  these 
testimonials  of  respect  paid  to  a  worth  like  that  of  Washington.  Be  it,  sir,  that  wo 
know  not  where  we  shall  end,  I  know  where  we  ought  to  hegin^  and  that  is,  with 
the  man  who  was  'first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  country- 
men.' Sir,  I  will  begin  with  him.  If,  hereafter,  another  shall  arise,  who  will  live 
like  Washington,  when  he  dies,  let  him  be  laid  by  his  side." 

The  resolution  was  adopted,  and  measures  were  immediately  taken  to  carry  it 
into  effect  on  the  22d  of  the  same,  month,  the  one  hundredth  annirersaiy  of  the  birth 
of  Washington,  when  it  was  shown,  by  records,  that  it  was  the  distinct  understand- 
ing between  Mrs.  Washington  and  President  Adams,  that  her  remains  should  accom- 
pany those  of  her  husband,  wherever  the  latter  might  lie.  This  reservation  caused 
the  necessity  of  procuring  the  consent  of  other  parties,  and  on  the  sixteenth  of 
February,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Clay,  the  senate  proceeded  to  the  consideration  of  the 
following  joint  resolution  from  the  house  : — 

"Retolved,  by  the  Senate  and  Hcuee  of  Bepreaentatives,  That  the  President  of  the 
Senate  and  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  be  hereby  authorized  to  make 
application  to  John  A.  Washington,  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  to  Geoi^ge  W.  P.  Custis, 
grandson  of  Mrs.  Washington,  for  the  remains  of  Mabtha  Wabhinoton,  to  be 
removed  and  deposited  in  the  Capitol  at  Washington  City,  at  the  same  time  with 
those  of  her  late  consort,  Geobob  Wasbihotok,  and  if  leave  be  obtained,  to  take 
measures  accordingly." 

This  effort  to  have  the  remains  of  the  illustrious  citizen  deposited  beneath  the 
Capitol  failed,  and  they  are  yet  within  the  area  marked  out  for  them  by  that  great 
man  while  living,  and  where,  among  his  kindred,  according  to  the  words  of  his  Will, 
no  doubt  it  was  his  desire  that  they  should  for  ever  repose.  17ow  that  Mount  Vernon, 
through  tlie  efforts  of  patriotic  women,  has  become  the  property  of  the  nation,  every 
American  should  rejoice  that  the  remains  of  Washington  have  not  been  disturbed 
Right  glad  are  we  that  they  are  left  alone, 

"  To  sleep  for  ever, 

Till  the  trump  that  awakens  the  countless  dead, 
By  the  verdant  bank  of  that  rushing  river. 
Where  first  they  pillowed  his  mighty  head." 


144  RECOLLECnOKS   OF  WASHINQTON. 

that  were  far  larger  than  she.  From  Long  Island  to 
Eutaw,  from  the  first  to  the  last  of  the  War  for  Indepenr 
dence,  her  banner  was  ever  in  the  field,  and  ever  floated 
mid  ^  the  bravest  of  the  brave." 

It  is  high  time  the  subject  of  the  remains,  and  the  re- 
mains themselves,  were  at  rest  Presmning  that  govern- 
ment should  purchase  Mount  Vernon,  and  determine  that 
the  ashes  of  the  chief  should  there  find  lasting  repose,  we 
would  respectfully  suggest  that  a  sepulchre  be  erected  on 
the  site  of  the  ancient  family  vault^  a  magnificent  location, 
having  an  extensive  view  of  the  surrounding  country  and 
of  the  noble  Potomac  that  washes  its  base ;  the  massive 
structure  to  be  formed  of  white  American  marble,  in 
blocks  each  of  a  ton  weight,  a  dome  of  copper,  surmounted 
by  an  eagle  in  bronze,  a  bronze  door,  and  for  inscription 
two  words  only  that  will  speak  volumes  to  all  time — 
Pater  Patrice.  The  key  of  the  receptacle  to  be  always 
in  custody  of  the  president  of  the  United  States  for  the 
time  being.  This  done,  and  if  done  ^  't  were  well  it  were 
done  quickly,"  the  Tomb  of  Washington  would  cease  to 
be  a  reproach  among  nations.  The  pilgrim  from  distant 
lands,  as  he  journeys  through  a  mighty  empire,  with  his 
heart  filled  with  veneration  of  the  fame  and  memory  of 
America's  illustrious  son,  when  he  arrives  at  the  national 
Sepulchre,  that  casts  its  broad  shadow  over  the  Potomac's 
wave,  will  become  awed  by  the  solemn  grandeur  of  the 
spot  The  American  of  generations  yet  to  come  will 
behold,  with  filial  reverence,  the  time-honored  receptacle 
that  contains  the  ashes  of  the  Father  of  his  Coimtry ; 
the  enduring  marble  mellowed  by  age,  and  the  inscrip- 
tion freshly  preserved  in  never-dying  bronze.  Proud  of 
such  a  monument  erected  by  the  piety  of  his  ancestors, 


( 


;^ 


»     \i  ^  "^  n!  J  ]^^  j-.'j  5 '  i  n  M 


THE  SETIBED  PRESIDENT.  445 

ihe  future  American  may  exclaim^  in  the  words  of  the 
immortal  hard  — 

"  Sach  honors  Ilion  to  her  hero  paid, 
And  peaceful  sleeps  her  mighty  Hector's  shade.'' 

Another  ohject  claimed  the  attention  of  the  chief  dur- 
ing the  last  days  at  Mount  Vernon — the  complete  sur- 
vey and  remodelling  of  his  farms,  with  a  view  to  their 
improvement.  These  surveys  he  made  in  person,  the 
calculations  and  estimates  drawn  out  hy  his  own  hand ; 
and,  indeed,  it  waa  a  rare  spectacle  to  behold  this  vener- 
able man,  who  had  obtained  the  very  topmost  height  of 
human  greatness,  carrying  his  own  compass,  the  emblem 
of  the  employments  of  his  early  days.* 

*  Allusion  has  already  been  made,  in  a  note  on  page  156,  to  a  facsimile  of  a  rec- 
ord of  one  of  Washington's  surreys,  given  in  this  Tolame.  It  was  made  in  April, 
1799,  the  last  year  of  his  life ;  and  the  land  surveyed  is  that  which  he  gave,  by  his 
Will,  to  the  author  of  these  Recollections,  situated  "on  Four-mile-Knn,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Alexandria,  containing  one  thousand  two  hundred  acres,  more  or  less."  We 
hare  on  several  occasions  observed  how  methodical  and  careful  Washington  was  in 
all  his  business  operations.  His  habit  of  committing  every  bargain,  even  the  most 
trivial,  to  writing,  is  well  exemplified  by  the  following  curious  document,  which  is 
preserved  among  his  papers.  It  appears  that  Philip  Barter  was  in  the  habit  of  get- 
ting intoxicated  too  often,  and  hence  the  execution  of  the  following  bond : — 

"  Articles  of  agreement  made  this  twelfth  day  of  April,  Anno  Domini  one  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  and  eighty-seven,  by  and  between  Qeoige  Washington,  Esq.,  of 
the  parish  of  Truro,  in  the  county  of  Fairfax,  state  of  Virginia,  on  the  one  part,  and 
Philip  Barter,  gardener,  on  the  other.  Witness,  that  the  said  Philip  Barter,  for  and 
in  consideration  of  the  covenants  hereafter  mentioned,  doth  promise  and  agree  to 
serve  the  said  George  Washington  for  the  term  of  one  year  as  a  gardener,  and  that 
he  will  during  the  said  time,  conduct  himself  soberly,  diligently,  and  honestly ;  that 
he  will  faithfully  and  industriously  perform  all  and  every  part  of  his  duty  as  a  gar- 
dener, to  the  liest  of  his  knowledge  and  abilities,  and  that  he  will  not  at  any  time 
suffer  himself  to  be  disguised  with  liquor  except  on  times  hereinafter  mentioned. 

"  In  consideration  of  these  things  being  well  and  duly  performed  on  the  part  of 
said  Philip  Barter,  the  said  George  Washington  -doth  agree  to  allow  him  (the  said 
Philip)  the  same  kind  and  quality  of  provisions  he  has  heretofore  had,  and  likewise, 
annually,  a  decent  suit  of  clothes,  befitting  a  man  in  his  station;  to  consist  of  coat, 
rest,  and  breeches;  a  working-jacket  and  breeches  of  homespun,  besides ;  two  white 


446  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINOTON. 

The  venerable  master  on  returning  to  his  home,  fonnd^ 
indeed,  many  things  to  repair,  with  an  ample  field  for 
improvement  before  him. .  With  a  body  and  mind  alike 
sound  and  vigorous  in  their  maturity,  did  he  bend  his 
energies  to  the  task,  while  the  appearance  of  everything 
gave  proofs  of  the  taste  and  energy  in  the  improvements 
that  marked  the  last  dajrs  at  Moimt  Vernon. 

Washington's  rides  on  his  extensive  estates,  would  be 
from  eight  to  twelve  or  fourteen  miles ;  he  usually  moved 
at  a  moderate  pace,  passing  through  his  fields  and  in- 
specting everything ;  but  when  behind  time,  the  most 
punctual  of  men  would  display  the  horsemanship  of  his 
better  days,  and  a  hard  gallop  bring  him  up  to  time,  so 
that  the  sound  of  his  horse's  hoo&  and  the  first  dinner- 
bell  should  be  heard  together  at  a  quarter  to  three 
o'clock. 

Washington's  correspondence  with  Sir  John  Sinclair,* 
and  other  eminent  characters  in  Europe,  gave  a  great 
deal  of  information  touching  the  improvements  in  agri- 
shirts  ;  three  check,  do ;  two  linen  overalls ;  as  many  pairs  of  shoes  as  are  necessary 
for  him ;  four  dollars  at  Christmas,  with  which  he  may  be  drnnk  four  days  and  foar 
nights ;  two  dollars  at  Easter  to  effect  the  same  purpose ;  two  dollars  at  Whitsuntide 
to  be  drunk  for  two  days ;  a  dram  in  the  morning,  and  a  drink  of  grog  at  dinner  at 
noon. 

"For  the  true  and  faithful  performance  of  all  and  each  part  of  these  things,  the 
parties  have  hereunto  set  their  hands  this  twenty-third  day  of  April,  Anno  Domini, 
1787.  his 

"Philip  Baxtsr,   X 

"Witness:  mait. 

"  George  A.  Washington,  "  Gbobob  Washihotok. 

"  Tobiafl  Lear." 

*  Sir  John  Sinclair  was  an  eminent  Scotch  baronet,  and  much  interested  in  the 
progress  of  the  United  States.  In  September,  1796,  he  wrote  to  Washington,  mak- 
ing special  and  general  inquiries  respecting  the  soil  and  agriculture  of  the  United 
States,  to  which  Washington  replied,  in  a  lengthy  and  rery  able  letter,  in  December 
following.  A  copy  of  that  letter  may  be  found  in  Sparks's  Life  and  Writingtof 
WoMhingUm,  xii.  828. 


THE  BSTIRSD   PREBIDraT.  447 

culture  and  domestic  economy  in  the  Old  World.  This 
valuable  information  was  carefully  digested  by  the  farmer 
of  Mount  Vernon,  with  a  view  to  its  adaptation  to  the 
climate  and  resources  of  the  United  States.  Nothing  that 
tended  to  public  benefit  was  too  vast  to  be  undertaken 
by  this  man  of  mighty  labors.  The  whole  of  his  public 
as  weU  as  private  career  was  marked  by  usefulness.  His 
aim  was  good  to  his  country  and  mankind,  and  to  effect 
this  desirable  end,  untiring  were  his  energies  and  onward 
his  course  as  a  public  bene&ctor. 

During  the  maritime  war  with  France,*  the  armed 
merchantmen  that  sailed  fi*om  Alexandria  would  salute 
on  paasing  Mount  Vernon.  On  the  report  of  the  first 
gun,  the  general  would  leave  his  library,  and,  taking  a 
position  in  the  portico  that  fronts  the  river,  remain  there 
uncovered  till  the  firing  ceased. 

And  yet  another  salute  awakened  the  echoes  around 
the  shores  of  Mount  Vernon ;  another  act  of  homage  was 
paid  to  the  retired  chief;  and  this  was  the  homage  of  the 
hearty  for  it  was  paid  by  an  old  companion-in-arms,  while 
its  echoes  called  up  the  memories  of  the  past  A  small 
vessel  would  be  seen  to  skim  along  the  bosom  of  the 
Potomac.  Neariag  the  shore,  the  little  crafb  furled  her 
sails,  let  go  her  anchor,  and  discharged  a  small  piece  of 
ordnance ;  then  a  boat  put  off  and  pulled  to  the  shore, 
and  soon  a  messenger  appeared,  bearing  a  fine  rock  or 

*  AUusion  has  already  been  made  to  an  expected  war  with  France  in  the  year 
1798.  There  was  no  actual  declaration  of  war,  yet  hostilities  between  the  two 
eonntries  commenoed  on  the  ocean.  The  United  States  fHgate  CoruteUation,  cap- 
tared  the  French  frigate  L*Innny«nte,  in  Febmaiy,  1799.  That  fVigate  had  already 
captured  the  American  schooner  Retaliation.  On  the  first  of  February,  1800,  the 
QmMtellation  had  an  action  with  the  French  frigate  La  Vengeance,  but  escaped  cap* 
tore,  after  a  loss  of  one  hondred  and  sixty  men  in  killed  and  wounded. 


448  BEOOLLBCnONS  OF  WASmNOTON. 

drum  fish,  with  the  compliments  of  Benjamin  Grymes,  who 
resided  some  fifty  miles  down  the  river,  and  who  was  a 
gallant  oflScer  of  the  Life-Guard  in  the  War  of  the  Revo- 
lution. 

Several  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  French  emi- 
grants, some  of  them  bringing  letters  from  French  offi- 
cers, who  had  served  in  the  War  for  Independence,  sought 
in  vain  to  be  received  by  the  first  president  Among 
these  were  the  celebrated  Talleyrand,  the  Due  de  Lian- 
court,  Louis  Philippe,  then  Due  d'Orleans,  and  his  two 
brothers,  Montpensier  and  Bojolais.  The  first  president 
adhered  to  his  rule,  that  upon  mature  consideration  he 
had  laid  down  for  his  government  during  the  wars  and 
troubles  of  European  nations,  viz :  Respect  and  camtdero' 
tian  for  our  own  affairs^  lo&k  non-interveniion  in  the  affairs  of 
others, 

Louis  Philippe  and  brothers  visited  the  retired  chief 
during  the  last  days  at  Mount  Vernon.  The  amiable  Due 
de  Liancourt  bore  his  reverse  of  fortune  with  great  mag- 
nanimity. He  used  to  say :  "  In  the  days  of  my  power 
and  affluence,  under  the  ancient  rigime  of  France,  I  kept 
fifty  servants,  and  yet  my  coat  was  never  as  well  brushed 
as  it  is  now,  when  I  brush  it  myself" 

George  Washington  Lafayette,  and  his  tutor  and  friend 
M.  Frestel,  became  members  of  the  Mount  Vernon  family 
during  the  last  days.  These  estimable  Frenchmen,  driven 
by  persecution  from  their  native  country,  found  refuge 
in  America. 

While  reasons  of  state  prevented  Washington,  as  pres- 
ident, from  receiving  emigres^  so  soon  as  he  became  the 
private  citizen  he  warmly,  joyfully  welcomed  to  his  heart 
and  his  home  the  son  of  his  old  companion-in-arms,  bid- 


THE  RETIRED   PRESIDENT.  449 

ding  young  Lafayette  to  consider  George  Washington  as 
a  fidend  and  father.  The  French  gentlemen,  from  their 
superior  intelligence,  together  with  their  highly-accom- 
plished and  amiable  manners,  endeared  themselves  to  all 
who  knew  them  during  their  sojourn  in  the  United 
States.  They  remained  members  of  the  family  of  Mount 
Vernon  until  a  change  in  European  affairs  enabled  them 
to  embark  for  their  native  land.* 

Many  articles,  both  for  useful  and  ornamental  pur- 
poses, were  forwarded  to  Mount  Vernon  from  Philadel- 
phia; and  that  the  retired  chief  was  in  full  employment 
upon  his  return  to  his  ancient  and  beloved  mansion,  may 
be  gathered  from  the  following  extract  of  a  letter  to  the 
author  of  these  RecoUediona^  dated  April  third,  1797 :  ^  We 
are  all  in  the  midst  of  litter  and  dirt^  occasioned  by 
joiners,  masons,  painters,  and  upholsterers,  working  in 
the  house,  all  parts  of  which,  as  well  as  the  out-buildings, 
are  much  out  of  repair."  Mount  Vernon,  it  is  known, 
resembles  a  village,  from  there  being  some  fourteen  or 
fifteen  buildings  detarched  from  each  other;  and  being 
nearly  all  constructed  of  wood,  it  may  well  be  supposed 
that  decay  had  made  considerable  progress,  more  especi- 
ally when  the  master's  absence  during  the  War  of  the 

*  Tonng  Lafayette  and  M.  Erestel,  arrived  at  Boston,  at  the  close  of  the  siini- 
mer  of  1795.  General  Lafayette  was  then  an  exile,  and  in  prison  in  Germany, 
haTing  fled  from  his  coontry  daring  the  storm  of  the  French  Bevolntion.  His 
BOD  came  to  America  for  refnge.  He  assumed  the  name  of  Motter,  and  resided  for 
awhile  in  seclusion,  with  his  tutor,  near  New  York.  When,  in  March,  1 797,  Wash- 
ington retired  from  the  presidency,  and  became  a  private  citizen,  he  invited  young 
Lafayette  to  make  Mount  Vernon  his  home ;  and  the  young  gentleman  accompanied 
the  illustrious  friend  of  his  father  to  that  pleasant  abode  on  the  rotoroac.  General 
Lafayette  having  been  restored  to  liberty  and  his  family,  his  son,  with  M.  Frestel, 
sailed  for  France,  from  New  York,  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  October,  1 797.  A  por- 
trait of  young  Lafayette,  while  a  resident  at  Mount  Vernon,  may  be  found  in  a 
woik  entitled.  Mount  Vernon  and  iu  Associations,  New  York,  1859. 

29 


450  BECOLLECnOKS   OF  WASmNOTON. 

Bevolution  and  the  first  presidency  amounted  to  sixteen 
years. 

An  event  occurred  on  the  twenty-second  of  February, 
1799,  that^  while  it  created  an  unusual  bustle  in  the  an- 
cient halls,  shed  a  bright  gleam  of  sunshine  on  the  last 
days  at  Mount  Vernon.*  It  was  the  marriage  of  Major 
Lewis,  a  favorite  nephew,  with  the  adopted  daughter  of 
the  chief.  It  was  the  wish  of  the  young  bride  that  the 
general  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States  should  appear 
in  the  splendidly  embroidered  uniform  (the  costume  as- 
signed him  by  the  board  of  general  officers)  in  honor  of 
the  bridal ;  but  alas,  even  the  idea  of  wearing  a  costume 
bedizzened  with  gold  embroidery,  had  never  entered  the 
mind  of  the  chief,  he  being  content  with  the  old  Contir 
nental  blue  and  buff,  while  the  magnificent  white  plumes 
presented  to  him  by  Major-General  Knckney  he  gave  to 
the  bride,  preferring  the  old  Continental  cocked  hat,  with 
the  plain  black-ribbon  cockade,  a  type  of  the  brave  old 
days  of  76. 

Washington's  great  employment,  and  a  constant  stream 
of  company,  gave  him  but  little  time  to  go  abroad ;  still, 
he  occasionally  visited  his  old  and  long-remembered 
friends  in  Alexandria.  He  attended  a  martial  exhibition, 
representing  an  invasion  by  the  French,  which  ended  in 
an  old-fashioned  sham  battle  and  the  capture  of  the  iur 
vaders.  It  was  handsomely  got  up,  Alexandria  at  that 
time  possessing  a  numerous  and  well-appointed  military ; 
and  the  whole  went  off  with  great  eclat 

Among  many  interesting  relics  of  the  past,  to  be  found 
in  the  last  days  at  Mount  Vernon,  was  old  Billy,  the  famed 
body-servant  of  the  commander-in-chief  during  the  whole 

*  See  page  44. 


THE  RETIRED   PRESIDENT.  451 

of  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  Of  a  stout  athletic  form, 
he  had  from  an  accident  become  a  cripple,  and,  having 
lost  the  power  of  motion,  took  up  the  occupation  of  a 
shoemaker  for  sake  of  employment  Billy  careflilly  recon- 
noitred the  visiters  as  they  arrived,  and  when  a  military 
title  was  announced,  the  old  body-Bervant  would  send  his 
compliments  to  the  soldier,  requesting  an  interview  at  his 
quarters.  It  was  never  denied,  and  Billy,  after  receiving 
a  warm  grasp  of  the  hand,  would  say,  *^  Ah,  colonel,  glad 
to  see  you ;  we  of  the  army  don't  see  one  another  oftien 
in  these  peaceful  times.  Glad  to  see  your  honor  looking 
so  well ;  remember  you  at  headquarters.  The  new-time 
people  don't  know  what  we  old  soldiers  did  and  suffered 
for  the  coimtry  in  the  old  war.  Was  it  not  cold  enough 
at  Valley  Forge  ?  Yes,  was  it ;  and  I  am  sure  you  re- 
member it  was  hot  enough  at  Monmouth.  Ah,  colonel, 
I  am  a  poor  cripple ;  can't  ride  now,  so  I  make  shoes  and 
think  of  the  old  times ;  the  gineral  often  stops  his  horse 
here,  to  inquire  if  I  want  anything.  I  want  for  nothing, 
thank  God,  but  the  use  of  my  limbs." 

These  interviews  were  frequent,  as  many  veteran  of- 
ficers called  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  retired  chief,  and 
all  of  them  bestowed  a  token  of  remembrance  upon  the 
old  body-servant  of  the  Revolution.* 

It  was  in  November  of  the  last  days  that  the  general 
visited  Alexandria  upon  business,  and  dined  with  a  few 
friends  at  the  City  hotel.  Gadsby,  the  most  accomplished 
of  hosts,  requested  the  general's  orders  for  dinner,  pre- 

*  See  note  on  page  157.  One  of  Washington's  servants,  named  Gary,  set  free  bj 
fais  master's  will,  died  in  the  Federal  city,  a  few  years  ago,  at  the  age  of  one  hundred 
and  fonrteen  yean.  He  used  to  appear  at  military  parades,  with  an  old  military  eoat, 
cocked  hat,  and  huge  cockade,  presented  to  him  by  Washington.  He  was  followed 
to  the  grave  by  a  large  concopjrso  of  colored  people. 


452  BECOLLECnONS   OP  WASHIKaTON. 

mising  that  there  was  good  store  of  canvass-back  ducks 
in  the  larder.  "  Very  good,  sir,"  replied  the  chief,  "  give 
us  some  of  them,  with  a  chafing-dish,  some  hommony,  and 
a  bottle  of  good  Madeira,  and  we  shall  not  complain." 

No  sooner  was  it  known  in  town  that  the  general  would 
stay  to  dinner,  than  the  cry  was  for  the  parade  of  a  new 
company,  called  the  Independent  Blues,  commanded  by 
Captain  Peircy,  an  oflScer  of  the  Revolution.  The  mer^ 
chant  closed  his  books,  the  mechanic  laid  by  his  tools,  the 
drum  and  fife  went  merrily  round,  and  in  the  least  pos- 
sible time  the  Blues  had  fallen  into  their  ranks>  and  were 
in  full  march  for  the  headquarters. 

Meantime  the  general  had  dined,  and  given  his  only 
toast  of  ^AU  our  Friencby'  and  finished  his  last  glass  of 
wine,  when  an  officer  of  the  Blues  was  introduced^  who 
requested,  in  the  name  of  Captain  Peircy,  that  the  com- 
mander-in-chief would  do  the  Blues  the  honor  to  witness 
a  parade  of  the  corps.  The  general  consented,  and  re- 
paired to  the  door  of  the  hotel  looking  toward  the  public 
square,  accompanied  by  Colonel  Fitzgerald,  Dr.  Craik,  Mr. 
Keith,  Mr.  Herbert,  and  several  other  gentlemen.  The 
troops  went  through  many  evolutions  with  great  spirit^ 
and  concluded  by  firing  several  voUeys.  When  the  parade 
was  ended,  the  general  ordered  the  author  of  these  Jieeol' 
lections  to  go  to  Captain  Peircy,  and  express  to  him  the 
gratification  which  he,  the  general,  experienced  in  the 
very  correct  and  soldierly  evolutions,  marchings,  and  fir- 
ings of  the  Independent  Blues.  Such  commendation,  firom 
such  a  source,  it  may  well  be  supposed,  was  received  with 
no  small  delight  by  the  young  soldiers,  who  marched  off 
in  fine  spirits,  and  were  soon  afterward  dismissed.    Thus 


THE  RETIRED   PRESIDENT.  463 

ing  the  last  rnHUary  order  issued  in  person  by  the  Father 
of  his  Country. 

Washington  ceased  to  be  a  sportsman  after  1787,  when 
he  gave  up  the  hunting  establishment  True,  he  bred  the 
blood  horse,  and  a  favorite  colt  of  his,  named  MagrtoUay 
was  entered  and  ran  for  a  purse ;  but  this  was  more  to 
encourage  the  breeding  of  fine  horses  than  from  any 
attachment  to  the  sports  of  the  turC  All  the  time  that 
he  could  spare  for  active  exercise  in  his  latter  days  was 
devoted  to  riding  about  his  farm,  and  inspecting  his  im- 
provements. In  this  he  was  ably  assisted  by  several  of 
his  stewards  and  managers,  who  were  Europeans,  and  who 
had  brought  from  their  own  countries  habits  of  industry 
and  a  knowledge  of  improved  agriculture  and  rural  af- 
fairs ;  so  that,  had  the  Farmer  of  Mount  Vernon  been 
spared  but  a  few  years  longer,  his  estate  would  have 
exhibited  a  series  of  model  farms,  examples  to  neighbor^ 
ing  improvers  and  to  the  country  at  large. 

Although  much  retired  from  the  business  world,  the 
chief  was  by  no  means  inattentive  to  the  progress  of 
public  afiairs.  When  the  post-bag  arrived,  he  would  select 
the  letters,  and  lay  them  by  for  perusal  in  the  seclusion 
of  his  library.  The  journals  he  would  peruse  while  taking 
his  single  cup  of  tea  (his  only  supper),  and  would  read 
aloud. passages  of  peculiar  interest,  making  remarks  upon 
the  same.  These  evenings  with  his  family  always  ended 
precisely  at  nine  o'clock,  when  Washington  bade  every 
one  good  night,  and  retired  to  rest,  to  rise  again  at  four, 
and  to  renew  the  same  routine  of  labor  and  enjoyment 
that  distinguished  his  last  days  at  Mount  Vernon. 

Washington's  last  days,  like  those  that  preceded  them 
in  the  course  of  a  long  and  a  well-spent  life,  were  devoted 


454  BEGOLLECnONS   OF  WASHINO):ON. 

to  constant  and  useful  employment.  After  the  active 
exercise  of  the  mornings  in  attention  to  agriculture  and 
rural  affairs,  in  the  evening  came  the  post-bag,  loaded 
with  letters,  papers,  and  pamphlets.  His  correspondence 
both  at  home  and  abroad  was  immense;  yet  was  it 
promptly  and  fully  replied  to.  No  letter  was  unanswered. 
One  of  the  best-bred  men  of  his  time,  Washington  deemed 
it  a  grave  offence  against  the  rules  of  good  manners  and 
propriety  to  leave  letters  unanswered.  He  wrote  with 
great  facility,  and  it  would  be  a  difficult  matter  to  find 
another,  who  had  written  so  much,  who  had  written  so 
well.  His  epistolary  writings  will  descend  to  posterity, 
as  models  of  good  taste,  as  well  as  exhibiting  superior 
powers  of  mind.  General  Henry  Lee  once  observed  to 
the  chie^  "  We  are  amazed,  sir,  at  the  vast  amount  of 
work  that  you  accomplish."  Washington  replied,  «  Sir,  I 
rise  at  four  o'clock,  and  a  great  deal  of  my  work  is  done 
while  others  are  asleep.*' 

So  punctual  a  man  delighted  in  always  having  about 
him  a  good  timekeeper.  In  Philadelphia,  the  first  presi- 
dent regularly  walked  up  to  his  watchmaker's  (Clarke,  in 
Second  street)  to  compare  his  watch  with  the  regulator. 
At  Mount  Vernon  the  active  yet  always  punctual  farmer 
invariably  consulted  the  dial  when  returning  firom  his 
morning  ride  and  before  entering  his  house. 

The  affairs  of  the  household  took  order  from  the  mas- 
ter's accurate  and  methodical  arrangement  of  time.  Even 
the  fisherman  on  the  river  watched  for  the  cook's  signal 
when  to  pull  in  shore,  so  as  to  deliver  his  scaly  products 
in  time  for  dinner. 

I  The  establishment  of  Mount  Y emon  employed  a  perfect 
army  of  servants ;  yet  to  each  one  was  assigned  certain 


THE  KBTIBED  PR£8IDENT.  455 

special  duties,  and  these  were  required  to  be  strictly  pep- 
formed.  Upon  the  extensive  estate  there  was  rigid  dis- 
cipline, without  severity.  There  could  be  no  confusion 
where  all  was  order;  and  the  affairs  of  this  vast  concern, 
embracing  thousands  of  acres  and  hundreds  of  dependants, 
were  conducted  with  as  much  ease,  method,  and  regular- 
ity, as  the  affairs  of  an  ordinary  homestead 

Mrs.  Washington,  an  accomplished  Virginia  housewife 
of  the  olden  time,  gave  her  constant  attention  to  all  mat- 
ters of  her  domestic  household,  and  by  her  skill  and  supe- 
rior management  greatly  contributed  to  the  comfortable 
reception  and  entertidnment  of  the  crowds  of  guests 
always  to  be  found  in  the  hospitable  mansion  of  Mount 
Vernon. 

Upon  Washington's  first  retirement,  in  1783,  he  became 
convinced  of  the  defective  nature  of  the  working  animals 
employed  in  the  agriculture  of  the  southern  states,  and 
set  about  remedying  the  evil  by  the  introduction  of  mules 
instead  of  horses,  the  mule  being  found  to  live  longer,  be 
less  liable  to  disease,  require  less  food,  and  in  every  respect 
to  be  more  serviceable  and  economical  than  the  horse  in 
the  agricultural  labor  of  the  southern  states.  Up  to  1783, 
scarcely  any  mules  were  to  be  found  in  the  Union ;  a  few 
had  been  imported  from  the  West  Indies,  but  they  were 
of  diminutive  size  and  of  little  value.  So  soon  as  the 
views  on  this  subject  of  the  illustrious  farmer  of  Mount 
Vernon  were  known  abroad,  he  received  a  present  from 
the  king  of  Spain  of  a  jack  and  two  jennies,  selected  from 
the  royal  stud  at  Madrid.  The  jack,  called  the  Hoyal  Gf^ty 
was  sixteen  hands  high,  of  a  gray  color,  heavily  made, 
and  of  a  sluggish  disposition.  At  the  same  time,  the  Mar- 
quis de  Lafayette  sent  out  a  jack  and  jennies  from  the 


456  RECOLLECnONB  OF  WASHINGTON. 

island  of  Malta ;  this  jack^  called  the  Ktdght  of  MaUa^  was 
a  superb  animal,  black  color,  with  the  form  of  a  stag  and 
the  ferocity  of  a  tiger.  Washington  availed  himself  of 
the  best  qualities  of  the  two  jacks  by  crossing  the  breeds, 
and  hence  obtained  a  favorite  jack,  called  Can^mmd, 
which  animal  united  the  size  and  strength  of  the  Gift  with 
the  high  courage  and  activity  of  the  EmgU.  The  jacks 
arrived  at  Moimt  Vernon,  if  we  mistake  not,  early  in  1788. 
The  general  bred  some  very  superior  mules  from  his 
coach  mares,  sending  them  from  Philadelphia  for  the 
purpose.  In  a  few  years  the  estate  of  Moimt  Vernon 
became  stocked  with  mules  of  a  superior  order,  rising  to 
the  height  of  sixteen  hands,  and  of  great  power  and  use- 
fulness, one  wagon  team  of  four  mules  selling  at  the  sale 
of  the  general's  eflFects  for  eight  hundred  dollars. 

Mount  Vernon,  in  the  olden  time,  was  celebrated  for 
the  luxuries  of  the  table.  The  fields,  the  forest^  and  the 
river,  each  in  their  respective  seasons,  furnished  the  most 
abundant  resources  for  good  living.  Among  the  pictur- 
esque objects  on  the  Potomac  to  be  seen  from  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  mansion-house,  was  the  light  canoe  of  Father 
Jack,  the  fisherman  to  the  establishment  Father  Jack  was 
an  African  negro,  an  hundred  years  of  age,  and,  although 
greatly  enfeebled  in  body  by  such  a  vast  weight  of  years, 
his  mind  possessed  uncommon  vigor.  And  he  would  tell 
of  days  long  past,  of  Afric's  clime,  and  of  Afiic's  wars,  in 
which  he  (of  course  the  son  of  a  king)  was  made  captive, 
and  of  the  terrible  battle  in  which  his  royal  sire  was  slaii^ 
the  village  consigned  to  the  flames,  and  he  to  the  slave- 
ship. 

Father  Jack  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree  the  lead- 
ing quality  of  all  his  race — sonmolency.    By  looking 


THE  BJETEIBSD  PRESIDENT.  457 

through  a  spy-glass,  you  would  see  the  canoe  fastened  to 
a  stake,  with  the  old  fisherman,  bent  nearly  double,  enjoy- 
ing a  nap,  which  was  only  disturbed  by  the  hard  jerking 
of  the  white  perch  that  became  entangled  by  hij3  hook. 

But  the  slumbers  of  Father  Jack  were  occasionally 
attended  by  some  inconvenience.  The  domestic  duties 
at  Mount  Vernon  were  governed  by  clock  time.  Now, 
the  cook  required  that  the  fish  should  be  forthcoming  at 
a  certain  period,  so  that  they  might  be  served  smoking 
on  the  board  precisely  at  three  o'clock.  He  would  repair 
to  the  river  bank,  and  make  the  accustomed  signals ;  but, 
alas,  there  would  be  no  response ;  the  old  fisherman  was 
seen  quietly  reposing  in  his  canoe,  rocked  by  the  gentle 
undulations  of  the  stream,  and  dreaming,  no  doubt,  of 
events  "  long  time  ago."  The  unfortunate  artiste  of  the 
culinary  department,  grown  furious  by  delay,  would  now 
rush  down  to  the  water's  edge,  and,  by  dint  of  loud  shout- 
ing, would  cause  the  canoe  to  tiun  its  prow  to  the  shore. 
Father  Jack,  indignant  at  its  being  even  supposed  that 
he  was  asleep  upon  his  post,  would  rate  those  present' on 
his  landing  with,  ^  What  you  all  meek  such  a  debil  of  a 
noise  for,  hey ;  I  wa'nt  sleep,  only  noddinV 

Poor  Father  Jack !  No  more  at  early  dawn  will  he  be 
seen,  as  with  withered  arms  he  paddled  his  light  canoe  on 
the  broad  surface  of  the  Potomac,  to  retiun  with  the  finny 
spoils,  and  boast  of  famous  fish  taken  "  on  his  own  hook." 
His  canoe  has  long  since  rotted  on  the  shore,  his  paddle 
hangs  idly  in  his  cabin,  his  ^  occupation 's  gone,"  and  Far 
ther  Jack,  the  old  fisherman  of  Mount  Vernon, "  sleeps  the 
sleep  that  knows  no  waking." 

A  hunter,  too,  was  attached  to  the  household  establish- 
ment Tom  Davis  and  his  great  Newfoundland  dog,  Gunner, 


158  RECOLLBCnONS  OF  WASHINOTON. 

were  as  important  characters  in  the  department  for  fur- 
nishing game  and  wild  fowl  as  Father  Jack  in  that  of 
fish.  So  vast  were  the  numbers  of  the  canvas^back  duck 
on  the  Potomac  in  the  ancient  time,  that  a  single  discharge 
of  Tom  Davis's  old  British  musket  would  procure  as  many 
of  those  delicious  birds  as  would  supply  the  larder  for  a 
week. 

The  year  1799  was  in  its  last  month.  Washington  had 
nearly  completed  his  sixty-eighth  year.  The  century  was 
fast  drawing  to  a  close,  and  with  it  the  great  man's  life. 
Yet  the  winter  of  his  age  had  shed  its  snows  so  kindly 
upon  him  as  to  mellow  without  impairing  his  faculties, 
either  physical  or  mental,  and  to  give  fair  promise  of 
additional  length  of  days. 

Nor  was  Washington  unmindful  of  the  sure  progress  of 
time,  and  of  his  liability  to  be  called  at  any  moment  to 
^  that  bourne  from  which  no  traveller  returns."  He  had 
for  years  kept  a  Will  by  him,  and,  after  mature  reflection, 
had  so  disposed  of  his  large  property  as  to  be  satis&ctory 
to  'himself  and  to  the  many  who  were  so  fortunate  and 
happy  as  to  share  in  his  testamentary  remembrance.* 

In  the  last  days  at  Moimt  Yemon,  desirous  of  riding 
pleasantiy,  the  general  procured  from  the  North  two 
horses  of  the  Narraganset  breed,  celebrated  as  saddle 
horses.  They  were  weU  to  look  at,  and  were  pleasantly 
gaited  under  the  saddle,  but  were  scary,  and  therefore 
unfitted  for  the  service  of  one  who  liked  to  ride  quietly 
on  his  farm,  occasionally  dismounting  and  walking  in  his 
fields,  to  inspect  his  improvements.     From  one  of  these 


*  Washington's  Will  was  drawn  bj  himself,  and  is  entirely  in  his  own  handwrit- 
ing. It  bears  the  date  of  Jnlj  9th,  1 799,  and  at  the  bottom  of  each  puge  his  name  if 
written. 


THE  BEXIBED   PBE8IDSNT.  459 

horses  the  general  sustained  a  heavy  fall — probably  the 
only  fall  he  ever  had  from  a  horse  in  his  life.  It  was  in 
November,  late  in  the  evening.  The  general,  accompanied 
by  Major  Lewis,  Mr.  Peake  (a  gentleman  residing  in  the 
neighborhood),  the  author  of  these  HecoUediam,  and  a 
groom,  were  returning  from  Alexandria  to  Mount  Vernon. 
Having  halted  for  a  few  moments,  the  general  dismounted, 
and  upon  rising  in  his  stirrup  again,  the  Narraganset^ 
alarmed  at  the  glare  from  a  fire  near  the  road-side,  sprang 
from  under  his  rider,  who  came  heavily  to  the  groimd. 
Our  saddles  were  empty  in  an  instant,  and  we  rushed  to 
give  our  assistance,  fearing  he  was  hurt.  It  was  unneces- 
sary. The  vigorous  old  man  was  upon  his  feet  again, 
brushing  the  dust  from  his  clothes ;  and,  after  thanking 
us  for  our  prompt  assistance,  observed  that  he  was  not 
hurt,  that  he  had  had  a  very  complete  tumble,  and  that 
it  was  owing  to  a  cause  that  no  horseman  could  well  avoid 
or  control ;  that  he  was  only  poised  in  his  stirrup,  and  had 
not  yet  gained  his  saddle,  when  the  scary  animal  sprang 
from  under  him.  Meantime,  all  our  horses  had  gone  off 
at  full  speed.  It  was  night,  and  over  four  miles  were  to 
be  won  ere  we  could  reach  oiu*  destination.  The  chief 
observed,  that,  as  our  horses  had  disappeared,  it  only  re- 
mained for  us  to  take  it  on  foot,  and  with  manly  strides 
led  the  way.  We  had  proceeded  but  a  short  distance  on 
our  march,  as  dismounted  cavaliers,  when  our  horses  hove 
in  sight  Happily  for  us,  some  of  the  servants  of  Mr. 
Peake,  whose  plantation  was  hard  by,  in  returning  home 
from  their  labor,  encountered  our  flying  steeds,' captured 
them,  and  brought  them  to  us.  We  were  speedily  re- 
mounted, and  soon  the  lights  at  Mount  Vernon  were  seen 
glimmering  in  the  distance. 


460  RECOLLECTIONS   OP  WASHINGTON. 

The  sentinel  placed  on  the  watch-tower  by  Fate  to 
guard  the  destmies  of  Washington,  might  have  cried, 
"All 's  well !"  during  the  last  days  at  Mount  Vernon.  AH 
was  well.  All  things  glided  gently  and  prosperously  down 
the  stream  of  time,  and  all  was  progressive.  Two  blades 
of  grass  had  been  made  to  "  grow  where  but  one  grew 
before,"  and  a  garden  "  bloomed  where  flowers  had  once 
grown  wild." 

The  best  charities  of  life  were  gathered  around  the 
Pater  PatricB  in  the  last  days  at  Mount  Vernon.  The  love 
and  venerationof  a  whole  people  for  his  illustrious  services; 
his  generous  and  untiring  labors  in  the  cause  of  public 
utility  J  his  kindly  demeanor  to  his  family  circle,  his  fiiends, 
and  numerous  dependants ;  his  courteous  and  cordial  hos- 
pitality to  his  guests,  many  of  them  strangers  from  far 
distant  lands ;  these  charities,  all  of  which  sprung  from  the 
hearty  were  the  ornament  of  his  declining  years,  and  gave 
benignant  radiance  to  his  setting  sun;  and  that  scene, 
the  most  sublime  in  natmre,  where  human  greatness  re- 
poses on  the  bosom  of  human  happiness,  was  to  be  admired 
on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  in  the  last  days  at  Mount 
Vernon.* 

*  A  German  gentleman  in  1858,  then  eighty-fonr  yean  of  age,  wrote  as  follows 
concerning  pictures  of  the  Washington  family,  which  hung  in  his  hall :  "  They 
riyidly  call  to  my  mind  the  day  ^—  the  proudest  day  of  my  life — that  I  passed  npon 
the  beautiful  banks  of  the  Potomac,  in  the  family  of  the  best  and  greatest  personage 
that  the  world  has  ever  produced.  It  was  in  May,  1 798,  now  nearly  sixty-one  years 
ago.    I  was  seated  at  his  right  hand  at  dinner,  and  I  recollect  as  distinctly  his  ma- 

estic  bearing  as  if  it  were  yesterday.  Though  of  mortality,  his  overpowering  pres- 
ence inspired  an  impression  that  he  belonged  to  immortality.    His  stateliness,  his 

erene  face,  the  perfect  simplicity  of  his  manners,  his  modest  demeanor,  and  the 
words  of  wisdom  which  he  uttered,  led  me  irresistibly  to  the  belief  that  he  was  an 
emanation  from  the  Omnipotent,  for  the  marvellous  work  that  he  had  just  then  coa- 
summated.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  contemplate  him  in  his  retirement — after 
he  had  left  nothing  undone  that  he  could  perform  for  tlie  republic  of  his  creatioo, 


THB  BEHBSD   PRESIDENT.  461 

It  pleased  Providence  to  permit  the  beloved  Washing- 
ton  to  live  to  witness  the  fruition  of  his  mighty  labors  in 
the  cause  of  his  country  and  mankind,  while  his  success 
in  the  calm  and  honored  pursuits  of  agriculture  and 
rural  affairs  was  grateful  to  his  heart,  and  shed  the  most 
benign  and  happy  influence  upon  the  last  days  at  Mount 
Vernon. 

and  after  he  had  quitted  office  for  eyer !  What  a  privilege  I  enjoyed  in  being  hia 
welcome  gaest !  Of  the  240,000,000  of  people  in  Europe,  I  imagine  I  am  the  only 
penon,  since  the  death  of  Lafayette,  who  was  so  favored  as  to  break  bread  and  take 
wine  with  Washington  at  his  o^vn  table." 


462  RECoujBcmoNS  of  WABHnraroN. 


CHAPTER  XXIIL 

OUTLINE   UFB-PICTURBa* 

SMOLueonom  of  Houmt  Yuuroir— W^AuaroToir  «oi]r«  our  to  no  Wam— HnBatT 
m»  FxxircH  and  Ihdxav  Wa.b8— Battlb  ofthbMohonqahila— WiumraroHABBiB^ 
aBooii  AJTD  Faxmbx—Qosi  to  thb  Fxs0T  OoHaxns  — Appoiiitkd  to  thx  Cimr  Oohmamv 
OF  tub  Abmibi  of  thb  Ukitbd  Statbb — Yuxn  Movht  Ybbxov  or  1781 — Bbtibbmbiit  pbok 

THB  AbMT  —  TiBITXBS  AT  HOVHT  TXBKOV  —  COKSTITUTIOir AL  ColTTBlCTIOir  —  SbCBBTAXT 
ThOMSOV  at  MoUBT  YbBXOV—  WASHOrOTOH  DBA-VTH  FBOll  HIS  BbUBBMBBT  TO  BBOOXB  QbIST 

Maobtbatb  of  thb  Bbpitbuo— His  Fxxal  Bbtibbmbmt  to  Pbiyatb  Litb— Appoixtbd 
Ck>ia£ABi>BB-nr-OHXBF  of  ma  Pbotiuokal  Abmt— Avbodotb— WAunxeTON^  CAvmni 
— HuDbatd. 

How  many  and  what  glorious  recollections  crowd  upon 
the  mind  at  the  mention  of  Mount  Yemon !  It  is  a  name 
that  will  be  hallowed  to  all  time,  and  the  foot  of  the  pil- 
grim journeying  from  all  nations  will  continue  to  press 
the  tiurf  around  the  sepulchre  where  rest  the  ashes  of  the 
Father  of  his  Country.  The  associations  in  the  history 
of  this  venerated  spot>  with  those  in  the  history  of  the 
life  and  actions  of  its  departed  master,  will  ever  cause 
Moimt  Vernon  to  be  "  freshly  remembered."  These  as- 
sociations began  with  the  early  life  of  Washington,  and 
ended  only  with  his  last  days  on  earth.  Moimt  Yemon 
was  the  home  of  his  youth,  the  retreat  of  his  advanced 
age,  the  spot  that  he  most  loved,  and  to  which  he  so 
often  retired  to  find  repose  from  the  cares  and  anxieties 
of  public  afiairs.  He  never  left  it  but  with  regret  He 
always  returned  to  it  with  joy.     Could  the  old  halls  of 

•  Fint  pablished  in  the  NaUonal  IwUUiffetieer,  on  the  fourth  of  Jnljr,  1850. 


OUTLINE  UFE-PICTUBEB.  463 

the  ancient  mansion  exhibit  a  tableau  vivard  of  the  char- 
acters that  have  been  then*  inmates  in  by-gone  days,  what 
a  long  and  imposing  list  of  patriots^  statesmen,  and  war- 
riors would  appear  to  our  admiring  gaze,  to  adorn  the 
scenes  and  memories  of  the  past !  Let  us  endeavor  to 
sketch  a  few  outlines. 

Our  tableau  opens  in  1753,  when  Washington  crosses 
the  threshold  of  Mount  Vernon  to  enter  upon  that  great 
theatre  of  life  on  which  he  was  destined  to  play  so  illus- 
trious a  part  His  achievement  in  penetrating  the  wil- 
derness, and  successful  accomplishment  of  the  important 
objects  of  his  mission,  amid  dangers  and  difficulties  the 
most  appalling,  introduced  him  to  the  favorable  notice 
of  the  colonial  authorities,  who,  in  1754,  intrusted  the 
yoimg  Virginian  with  the  defence  of  the  frontier  of  his 
native  colony,*  where,  after  a  gallant  conflict  with  the 
enemy,  he  resigned  his  commission  and  retired  to 
Mount  Vernon.  But  he  was  not  permitted  long  to  en- 
joy the  pleasures  of  its  peaceful  shades;  for,  his  martial 
reputation  having  attracted  the  notice  of  General  Brad- 
dock,  the  provincial  soldier,  in  1755,  was  requested  by  the 
British  veteran  to  accompany  the  latter  in  the  ill-fated 
expedition  to  Fort  Duquesne. 

Our  tableau  now  gives  a  perspective  view  of  the  mem- 
orable ninth  of  July,  and  the  field  of  the  Monongahela, 
where  a  youthful  hero  gathers  his  first  laurels  amid  the 
fury  of  the  fight,  and  where  his  high  and  chivalric  daring 
caused  ^the  wild  untutored  savage"  to  hail  the  last 
mounted  officer  on  the  field  of  Monongahela,  as  ^  the 
diosen  of  the  great  spirit,  the  warrior  who  could  not  die 
in  battle/'t 

*  See  note  on  page  169.  t  See  note  on  page  158. 


464  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINOTON. 

At  the  close  of  the  Seven  Years'  War,  the  provincial 
colonel  again  becomes  a  private  citizen,  and  returns  to 
Moimt  Vernon  to  await  the  call  of  destiny. 

It  id  1759,  and  our  tableau  exhibits  a  gay  and  jojous 
scene,  while  the  old  halls  ring  again  with  the  reception 
of  a  bridal  party,  and  Washington  enters  Mount  Vernon 
a  prosperous  and  happy  bridegroom.  The  gallant  and 
distinguished  soldier  now  lays  aside  the  ^  pomp  and  cir- 
cumstance of  glorious  war,"  and  many  years  glide  hap- 
pily along,  amid  the  delights  of  domestic  felicity,  the 
society  of  family  and  friends,  and  the  employments  of 
agricultiure  and  rural  affairs,  when  our  tableau  changes  to 
1774.  The  colonial  troubles  have  commenced,  and  we 
behold  the  arrival  of  two  distinguished  personages  at 
Mount  Vernon,  Patrick  Henry  and  Edmund  Pendleton. 
The  object  of  their  yisit  is  to  accompany  Washington  to 
the  first  Congress,  where  the  soldier  had  been  called  by 
the  voice  of  his  country,  to  change  the  duties  of  the  field 
for  those  of  the  senate-house.* 

In  1775,  while  serving  as  a  member  of  the  first  Con- 
gress, Washington  is  appointed  to  command  in  chief  the 
armies  of  the  colonies,  then  assembling  to  do  battle  for 
the  rights  and  liberties  of  unborn  generations.  He  obeys 
the  call  of  destiny  and  his  country ;  and  for  six  eventfiil 
years,  big  with  the  fate  of  liberty  and  an  empire,  his 
home  is  in  the  tented  field.f 

Now,  1781,  our  tableau  shows  the  long-deserted  halls 

*  Washington  was  chosen  delegate  to  represent  Virginia  in  the  First  Conti- 
NXMTAL  CoKORESs,  which  assembled  at  Philadelphia,  on  the  fifth  of  September, 
1774.  Ho  was  accompanied  on  his  jonmej  from  Mount  Vernon  to  Philadelphia, 
on  that  occasion,  by  Patrick  Henry  and  Edmnnd  Pendleton.  Richard  Henry  Lee 
expected  to  join  them  at  Mount  Vernon,  but  was  detained  at  home. 

t  See  note  on  page  134. 


^  OOTUNB  UFB-PICTURES.  465 

of  Mount  Vernon  to  be  animated  by  the  presence  of  the 
commander-in-chief  of  the  combined  armies  of  America 
and  France,  accompanied  by  the  Count  de  Bochambeau 
and  a  brilUaat  suite,  who  halt  but  for  a  single  day,  en 
route  for  Yorktown.* 

Again  our  tableau  changes,  and  introduces  us,  in  1783, 
to  happier  scenes.  The  war  has  ended ;  its  storms  have 
passed  away,  and  the  sunshine  of  peace  sheds  its  benign 
influences  upon  an  infant  nation,  a  free  and  independent 
people.f  Annapolis  has  witnessed  a  sublime  spectacle, 
and  Washington,  having  resigned  his  commission,  and 
**  taken  leave  of  the  employments  of  public  life,"  hastens 
to  his  beloved  retirement,  and  never  in  this  great  man's 
long  and  glorious  career  did  he  experience  so  pure,  so 
enviable  a  delight^  as  when  merging  the  victorious  gen- 
eral into  the  illustrious  farmer  of  Mount  Vernon. 

Our  tableau  now  teems  with  characters.  In  the  old 
halls  of  Mount  Vernon  are  assembled  chosen  spirits,  from 
the  wise,  the  good,  and  brave  of  both  hemispheres,  who 
have  journeyed  firom  distant  homes,  to  pay  the  homage 
of  their  hearts  to  the  hero  of  the  age  in  the  retirement 
of  a  private  citizen.  Conspicuous  amid  this  honored 
group  is  the  good  and  gallant  Lafayette,  who,  supposing 
in  1784J  that  he  was  about  to  bid  adieu  to  America  for 

*  Washington  arrived  at  Monnt  Vernon  on  the  ninth  of  September.  The  next 
day  Bochambeaa  and  Chastelleux,  with  theur  respective  snites,  arrived.  On  the 
eleventh,  Washington  presided  at  a  dinner-party,  nnder  his  own  roof,  and  on  the 
twelfth,  all  departed  for  Williamsburg.  Washington  was  accompanied  by  John 
Parke  Custis,  father  of  the  author  of  these  RecoUectiom,  as  his  lud.  They  arrived  at 
WilliMnsbnrg  on  the  evening  of  the  fourteenth. 

I  See  note  on  page  370. 

t  Lafayette  came  to  America  in  the  summer  of  1784.  After  remaining  a  few  dayt 
in  New  York,  he  hastened  to  Mount  Vernon,  where  he  remained  almost  a  fortnight. 
He  again  visited  the  iUostrions  farmer  on  the  Potomac,  just  before  leaving  America^ 
in  November  following. 

30 


466  B£C0LUBCn0N8  OF  WAfiSmOTON. 

the  last  time,  had  haetened  to  Mount  Vernon  to  pay  hiB 
parting  respects  to  the  man  Who,  of  all  men,  he  moeit 
loved  and  admired. 

The  retired  chief  receives  his  guests  with  that  kindli- 
ness and  hospitality  for  which  Mount  Vernon  was  always 
distinguished,  while  his  early  rising,  his  industrious  and 
meUiodical  habits  of  life,  his  horsemanship  in  the  chase, 
his  minute  attention  to  all  matters,  and  the  improve- 
ment of  his  domain,  elicited  the  warmest  encomium  and 
admiration  of  those  who,  in  the  old  time  of  day,  had  the 
good  fortune  to  visit  Washington  on  his  fafm. 

Prom  the  unalloyed  happiness  in  which  four  yeajrs 
were  now  passed  in  the  employments  of  agriculture,  in 
social  and  domestic  intercourse,  occasionally  varied  by 
the  pleasures  of  the  chase,  this  period  in  the  lifb  of  the 
Pater  Patrice  may  ^truly  be  said  to  have  been  the  one  in 
which  all  his  ways  were  ^  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all 
his  paths  were  peace." 

Our  toMem  changes  to  1787,  when  his  countiy  calfe 
upon  her  chosen  son  to  leave  the  tranquil  shades  of 
Mount  Vernon  to  take  a  prominent  part  in  the  mo- 
mentous events  of  the  times.  The  old  confederation  is 
ended ;  a  new  government  is  to  be  formed ;  confusion  is 
to  be  succeeded  by  order.  The  convention  assembles,  and 
that  immortal  constitutional  charter,  that  millions  of  free- 
men have  since  so  happily  enjoyed,  received  its  first 
signature  from  the  hand  of  George  Washington.* 

From  this  date  a  young  and  glorious  empire  dawned 
upon  the  world.  Conceived  in  the  purity  of  republican 
freedom,  founded  on  the  basis  of  equal  rights  and  equal 
laws,  the  great  and  renowned  of  the  land  formed  this 

*  See  note  on  page  381. 


OUTUNB  UFE-PICTUBES.  467 

masterwork  of  virtue ;  and  patriotism  might  well  expect 
that  it  would  endure  for  centuri^e,  till  grown  hoary  by 
time^  and  from  the  decline  of  public  virtue  it  should  ex- 
perience the  £ite  of  nations^  when^  from  the  extent  and 
magnifk^ence  of  its  ruins,  futurity  might  read  the  story 
of  its  rise,  its  grandeur,  and  its  falL 

Our  tableau  exhibits,  in  1789,  important  and  touching 
events  in  the  Udory  of  Mount  Vernon.  A  special  envoy 
arrives  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Secretary  Thomson,  a  signer 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  a  genuine  type 
<jf  the  brave  old  days  of  '76.  Scarcely  is  he  received  with 
the  warmest  welcome,  when  he  declares  the  object  of 
his  mission :  That  he  is  charged,  by  the  Congress  Uien 
^lasembled  in  New  York,  with  the  grateful  duty  of  m- 
nouncing  to  George  Washington,  a  private  citizen,  his 
election  to  the  presidency  of  the  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica.* 

The  recipient  of  this  highest,  this  proudest  dignity 
that  can  ever  be  conferred  on  man^  was  by  no  means  un- 
prepsured  for  its  announcement  by  the  venerable  ambas- 
sador. From  the  period  of  the  ratification  of  the  Con- 
stitution by  the  states,  every  mail  from  every  part  of  the 
Union  brought  letters  to  Mount  Vernon,  all  praying  the 
retired  chief  to  yield  to  ihe  united  wishes  of  the  people 
to  accept  the  highest  dignity  in  their  power  to  bestow. 
In  vain  did  the  happy  farmer  of  Mount  Vernon  plead 
that  advanced  age  and  long  services  needed  repose. 
.Many  of  his  old  and  much-loved  companions-in-arms 
gathered  around  him  affectipnately,  saying,  ^  We  feel  as- 
8iu:ed  that  you  can  notj  that  you  will  not^  refuse  the 
wishes  of  a  whole  people ;  your  honored  name  is  heard 

•  8«e  note  on  pi^  368. 


468  RECOLLECTIONS   OF   WASHINGTON. 

from  every  Up,  while  in  every  heart  there  dwells  but  one 
sentiment :  Washinfftony  cJdef  magistrate  of  the  RepuhUcr 

The  newly-chosen  president  was  deeply  affected  by 
this  generous,  this  universal  testimonial  of  the  love  and 
attachment  of  his  coimtrymen.  The  people  triumphed ! 
The  man  of  the  people  yielded  to  the  will  of  the  people. 
A  day  or  two  suflBced  for  preparation  for  departure.  A 
sigh  to  the  fond  memories  of  home  and  happy  days  of 
retirement,  and  the  first  president  of  the  United  States 
bade  adieu  to  Mount  Vernon.  For  eight  years  silence 
reigned  in  the  ancient  halls,  when,  in  1797,  they  again 
teem  with  animation.  The  long-absent  master  returns. 
Time  has  blanched  his  locks,  and  traced  its  furrows  on 
his  noble  brow,  but  his  manly  form  is  still  erect ;  ay, 
with  lightsome  step  and  joyous  heart  he  once  more  en- 
ters the  portals  of  his  beloved  Mount  Vernon. 

Our  tableau  having  exhibited  the  changing  events  in 
the  history  of  Mount  Vernon  for  forty-six  years,  in  its 
closing  scene  portrays  the  aged  chief  in  his  last  retire- 
ment His  days  are  numbered,  his  glorious  race  is  nearly 
run,  yet,  when  invasion  threatens,  he  obeys  the  last  call 
of  his  coimtry,  and  is  again  in  arms,  her  general  and  pro- 
tector.* 

When  Washington  was  appointed  to  his  last  command 
in  the  armies  of  his  coimtry,  his  acceptance  was  accom- 
panied by  an  intimation  that  he  should  remain  in  his  be- 
loved retirement  of  Mount  Vernon,  till  imperious  circum- 
stances should  call  him  to  the  field.  The  commander-in- 
chief  gave  the  necessary  attention  to  military  duties 
through  his  private  secretary,  while  himself  continued 
the  occupations  of  rural  affairs. 

*  See  note  on  page  327. 


OUTLINE  LIFB-PICTURES.  469 

A  number  of  the  principal  characters  in  the  United 
States  were  desirous  that  their  sons  should  make  a  first 
essay  in  arms  under  the  inmiediate  auspices  of  the  ven- 
erable chief  Among  these  was  the  Hon.  Charles  CarroU, 
of  Carrollton,  for  whom  Washington  ever  entertained  the 
very  warmest  political  as  well  as  personal  attachment 
and  esteem.  To  Mr.  Carroll's  application,  the  general 
replied,  that  as  it  was  his  firm  resolve,  in  case  the  enemy 
eflFected  a  landing,  to  meet  them  on  the  very  threshold 
of  the  empire,  he  should,  in  such  an  event,  require  about 
his  person,  officers  of  tried  knowledge  and  experience  in 
war;  but  with  a  view  to  gratify  Mr.  Carroll,  his  son 
should  be  received  as  an  extra  aid-de-camp. 

Among  the  applicants  of  a  more  veteran  stamp,  was 
Colonel  H.,  of  Richmond,  one  of  that  band  of  ardent  and 
youthftd  chivalry,  which  Virginia  sent  to  the  War  for  In- 
dependence in  the  very  dawn  of  the  Kevolution.  Col- 
onel H.  was  lieutenant  of  Morgan's  famed  corps  of  Rifle- 
men, which  performed  the  memorable  march  actoss  the 
wintry  wilderness  of  the  Kennebec  in  1775.  During 
that  display  of  almost  superhuman  privation  and  toil, 
and  in  the  subsequent  assault  on  Quebec,  he  displayed 
a  hardihood  of  character,  and  heroism  of  heart,  that 
won  for  him  the  admiration  of  his  comrades,  and  es- 
teem of  their  intrepid  commander ;  and  elicited  a  cog- 
nomen, that  a  Ney  might  have  been  proud  to  deserve — 
^ The  most  daring  of  aU  who  dare''  Morgan,  himself, 
bred  in  the  hardy  school  of  the  frontier  and  Indian 
warfare,  declared  of  Colonel  H. — ^  He  exceeds  all  men. 
During  the  greatest  horrors  of  our  march,  when  the 
bravest  fainted  and  fell  from  exhaustion  and  despon- 
dency, it  was  he  who  cheered  us  on,  for  oft  have  I  seen 


470  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  WASHINGTON. 

him  dance  upon  the  snow,  whUe  he  gnawed  his  moccams  far 
subsistenceJ' 

Yet  even  to  the  application  of  such  a  soldier,  did  the 
ever  cautious  mind  of  Washington  pause^  while  he 
weighed  in  the  balance  not  the  past,  but  the  present 
merits  of  the  man.  The  general  wrote  to  his  nephew, 
then  in  Richmond,  to  this  effect :  "  Colonel  H.  has  applied 
to  become  a  member  of  my  military  family.  In  the  War 
of  the  Revolution  I  knew  him.  well ;  and  of  a  truth  he 
was  then  all  that  could  be  desired  in  a  good  and  gallant 
officer,  and  estimable  man ;  but  time,  my  dear  Bushrody* 
often  changes  men  as  well  as  things.  Now,  the  object 
of  this  letter  is  to  inquire  whether  the  habits  of  Colonel  H. 
are  unaltered,  and  whether  I  shall  find  him  now  what  I 
knew  him  to  be  in  other  days."  The  answer  to  this  let- 
ter was  most  satisfactory.  Colonel  H.  was  the  same, 
good,  gallant,  and  estimable.  The  chief  was  content,  and 
quickly  marked  him  for  promotion. 

What  a  moral  does  this  little  private  memoir  impress 
upon  those  who  are  high  in  authority,  upon  whose  knowl- 
edge and  judgment  of  men  and  things,  so  often  depend 
the  destinies  of  nations !  How  careful  should  chiefs  be, 
in  the  choice  of  their  subordinates,  to  weigh  well  in  the 
balance  the  present  as  well  as  the  past  merits  of  appli- 
cants for  office,  lest,  as  in  the  words  of  the  venerated 
Washington,  ^  Time,  which  charges  men  as  well  as  things^ 

*  Bashrod  WashiDgton,  son  of  the  generars  brother  John  Augustine.  His  profes- 
sion was  the  law;  and  in  1798,  President  Adams  appointed  him  a  Jadge  of  the  sv- 
preme  court  of  the  United  States,  an  office  which  he  held  until  his  death.  He  was 
the  first  president  of  the  American  Colonization  Society.  On  the  death  of  General 
Washington  he  inherited  the  estate  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  the  general's  books  and 
papers.  He  died  at  Philadelphia  on  the  twentj-sixth  of  November,  1829,  at  the  age 
of  serenty  yean.  His  remains  are  in  the  family  ranlt  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  near 
it  is  a  fine  white  marble  obelisk  erected  to  his  memory. 


omxm  uREHPionnas.  471 

may  have  rendered  them  imworthy  of  being  ^marked 
for  promotion  " 

After  a  long  and  imexampled  career  of  glory  in  the 
service  of  his  country  and  mankind^  well  stricken  in 
years  and  laden  with  honors,  in  his  own  beloved  Mount 
Vernon,  with  the  fortitude  and  resignation  befitting  the 
Boman  fame  of  his  life  and  actions,  the  Pater  Patriae 
3delded  up  his  soul  to  Him  who  gave  it,  calmly  declaring, 
^I  am  not  afraid  to  die." 

Our  tableau  tdvant  closes  with  the  grandeur  and  solem* 
nity  of  the  spectacle  that  bore  him  to  his  grave. 


172  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINQTON* 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

LAST  HOURS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

Ian  SntTiTOs  or  the  DsAm-Soxini— -WASHiiraTox  Expobsd  to  ▲  Stobm— BTMrvoin  ov 
Szcums— Tna  BvccxsDnro  ETXKiiva  latb  zr  hib  Librakt  —  CnAKAomuBno  Bkxakx 

TO  Mm.  WABDZNOTOK— SuCXPLUBXnBSS^ALABX— PhYSIOLAJTS  BSNT  fob  — DOOTOft  Cbaik 

— Sbtibztt  of  thb  iLLirns— Galls  fob  nxB  Wzll— Dibbgtionb  about  hzs  Body  — A 
SoBXPTVBAL  Gubtox  Obbxbtxd — Wizt  ko  Glxbotxait  -wab  at  tub  Bbath-bbd  of  Wash- 

IKGTOK  — MbB.  WA8H£irOT0N*B  SXOBBT  PbATSBB  — TjOt  GlOBUTA  BCXNB. 

Twenty-eight  years  have  passed  since  an  interesting 
group  were  assembled  in  the  death  room,  and  witnessed 
the  last  hours  of  Washington  *  So  keen  and  unsparing 
hath  been  the  scythe  of  time,  that  of  all  those  who 
watched  over  the  patriarch's  couch,  on  the  thirteenth 
and  fourteenth  of  December,  1799,  but  a  single  person- 
age survives.f 

On  the  morning  of  the  thirteenth,  the  general  was  en- 
gaged in  making  some  improvements  in  the  front  of 
Mount  Vernon. J    As  was  usual  with  him,  he  carried  his 

*  This  was  first  published  ia  the  National  Intelliffencer,  in  February,  1827. 

t  The  persons  here  alluded  to  were,  Mrs.  Washington,  Christopher,  a  fayoiite 
house-servant  who  attended  upon  the  master.  Colonel  Tobias  Lear,  Mrs.  Foibes,  the 
housekeeper,  Mr.  Albert  Rawlins,  Drs.  Craik,  Brown,  and  Dick,  and  CaroUne, 
M0II7,  and  Charlotte,  three  of  the  house-servants.  Mrs.  Lewis  (Eleanor  Parke  Custis) 
was  confined,  by  childbirth,  to  an  upper  chamber,  and  her  husband  and  the  author 
of  these  Recollections,  were  absent  in  New  Kent.  Who  the  survivor  was,  to  whom 
the  author  alludes,  can  not  now  be  determined. 

)  Colonel  Tobias  Lear,  a  talented  and  educated  gentleman,  who  resided  many 
years  with  Washington,  first  as  secretary,  and  afterwards  as  superintendent  of  his 
private  affairs,  wrote,  immediately  after  the  death  of  the  patriot,  a  circumstantial 


LAST  HOUBS  OF  WABHINOTON.  473 

own  compass,  noted  his  observations,  and  marked  out  the 
ground.  The  day  became  rainy,  with  sleet,  and  the  im- 
prover remained  so  long  exposed  to  the  inclemency  of 
the  weather  as  to  be  considerably  wetted  before  his  re- 
turn to  the  house.  About  one  o'clock  he  was  seized  with 
chilliness  and  nausea,  but  having  changed  his  clothes,  he 
sat  down  to  his  in-door  work — there  being  no  moment 
of  his  time  for  which  he  had  not  provided  an  appropriate 
employment 

At  night  on  joining  his  family  circle,  the  general  com- 
plained of  a  slight  indisposition,  and  after  a  single  cup  of 
te%  repaired  to  his  library,  where  he  remained  writing 
until  between  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock.*  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington retired  about  the  usual  family  hour,  but  becoming 
alarmed  at  not  hearing  the  accustomed  sound  of  the  li- 
brary door  as  it  closed  for  the  night,  and  gave  signal  for 
rest  in  the  well-regulated  mansion,  she  rose  again,  and 
continued  sitting  up,  in  much  anxiety  and  suspense.  At 
length  the  well-known  step  was  heard  on  the  stair,  and 
upon  the  general's  entering  his  chamber,  the  lady  chided 
him  for  staying  up  so  late,  knowing  him  to  be  unwell,  to 
which  Washington  made  this  memorably  reply :  ^  I  came 
so  soon  as  my  business  was  accomplished.     You  well 

Account  of  the  scenes  at  his  departure.  He  was  present  during  his  illness  and  at 
his  death,  and  above  all  others  was  most  competent  to  give  a  correct  narrative.  His 
account,  much  more  minute  than  Mr.  Custis's,  agrees  snbstantiallj  with  the  more 
concise  narrative  in  this  chapter.  It  may  bo  found  in  the  Li/e  and  Writings  of 
Woihington,  by  Jared  Sparks,  i.  555. 

*Mr.  licar  says,  "that  in  the  evening  the  papers  were  brought  from  the  post- 
office,  and  the  family  remained  in  the  parlor  until  nine  o'clock,  when  Mrs.  Wash> 
ington  went  up  to  Mrs.  Lewis's  room.  After  that  he  and  the  general  read.  Wash- 
ington was  quite  hoarse ;  and  when  he  left,  as  Lear  supposed,  for  the  night,  the 
latter  observed  to  the  general,  that  he  had  better  take  something  for  his  cold. 
Washington  replied,  "No ;  you  know  I  never  take  anything  for  a  cold  —  let  it  go 
as  it  came.'' 


474  KBCOUBCniONS  OF  WISHDKHON. 

know  that  through  a  long  life,  it  has  been  mj  unvaried 
rule^  never  to  put  off  till  the  morrow  the  duties  which 
should  be  performed  to-day." 

Having  first  covered  the  fire  with  care,  the  man  of 
mighty  labors  sought  repose ;  but  it  came  not^  as  it  long 
had  been  wont  to  do,  to  comfort  and  restore  after  the 
many  and  earnest  occupations  of  the  wellrspent  day. 
The  night  was  passed  in  feverish  restlessness  and  pain. 
"  Tired  nature's  sweet  restorer,  balmy  sleep,"  was  destined 
no  more  to  visit  his  couch ;  yet  the  manly  sufferer  utter- 
ed  no  complaint,  would  permit  no  one  to  be  disturbed  in 
their  rest^  on  his  accoimt,  and  it  was  only  at  daybreak 
he  would  consent  that  the  overseer  might  be  called  in, 
and  bleeding  resorted  to.  A  vein  was  opened,  but  no 
relief  afibrded.    Couriers  were  despatched  to  Dr.  Craik,^ 

*  Doctor  James  Craik  was  born  at  Abigland,  near  Damfries,  Scotland,  in  1730, 
and  at  about  that  time,  John  Paul,  the  father  of  John  Faal  Jones,  was  the  gardener 
of  Dr.  Craik's  father.  Dr.  Craik  came  to  America  in  1750.  He  had  practised  his 
profession  a  short  time  in  the  West  Indies.  He  settled  in  Virginia ;  and  on  the 
serenth  of  March,  1754,  he  was  commissioned  a  surgeon  in  Ck>lonel  Fry's  regiment, 
which  was  commanded  by  Washington  on  the  death  of  that  officer.  Ha  terrad  in 
the  provincial  army  dnriDg  a  greater  portion  of  the  French  and  Indian  war.  At 
that  time  his  home  was  in  Winchester,  Virginia.  He  was  married  in  December, 
1760.  In  1770  he  accompanied  Washington  to  the  Ohio,  and  then  it  was  that  the 
scene  of  the  Indian  Prophecy  occorred,  which  is  cited  in  chapter  zi.  of  lUs  wotk. 
He  afterwards  settled  near  Fort  Tobacco,  Charles  county,  Maryland,  where  he  boilt 
a  fine  honse,  but  by  the  persuasion  of  Washington,  he  removed  to  Alexandria.  la 
1777,  Dr.  Craik  was  appointed  assistant  director^neral  in  the  hospital  department 
of  the  continental  army.  He  continued  to  reside  in  Alexandria,  until  old  age  caused 
him  to  lelinquish  the  practice  of  his  profession,  when  he  retired  to  Yanduse,  a  part 
of  the  Ravensworth  estate,  where  he  died  in  February,  1814,  al  the  age  of  eighty^our 
years.  His  wife  died  a  few  months  afterward^  at  the  age  of  seventy-four.  Dr. 
Craik  had  nine  children— six  sons  and  three  daughters.  His  eldest  son,  Williaa» 
was  a  representative  in  Congress  from  1796  to  1801,  whenhe  was  appointed  judge  of 
the  federal  court  He  and  the  author  of  these  RecolUcUons  married  sisters,  the 
daughters  of  William  Fitzhugh,  of  Chatham,  Virginia.  His  younger  son»  Qeoige 
Washington,  bom  in  1774,  was  President  Washington's  private  secretary. 

Dr.  Crmik  was  vigorous  and  active  until  the  lost.    His  grandson,  Bev.  Jamoa 


I.AflT  HOURS   OF  WASHINGTOK.  476 

the  family,*  and  Drs.  Dick  and  Brown,f  the  consulting 
physicians,  all  of  whom  came  with  speed.  The  proper 
remedies  were  administered,  but  without  producing  their 
healing  effects ;  while  the  patient,  yielding  to  the  anxious 
looks  of  all  around  him^  waived  his  usual  objections  to 
medicines,  and  took' those  which  were  prescribed  without 
hesitation  or  remark.  The  medical  gentlemen  spared 
not  their  skill,  and  all  the  resources  of  their  art  were  ex- 
hausted in  unwearied  endeavors  to  preserve  this  noblest 
work  of  nature. 

The  night  approached — the  last  night  of  Washington. 
The  weather  became  severely  cold  while  the  group  gath- 
ered nearer  to  the  couch  of  the  sufierer,  watching  with 
intense  anxiety  for  the  slightest  dawning  of  hope.  He 
spoke  but  little.  To  the  respectful  and  affectionate  in 
quiries  of  an  old  family  servant,  as  she  smoothed  down 
his  piUow,  how  he  felt  himself,  he  answered,  ^  I  am  very 
ill."  To  Dr.  Craik,  his  earliest  companion-in-arms,  longest 
tried  and  bosom  fidend,  he  observed,  ^^  I  am  dying,  sir — 
but  am  not  afraid  to  die."  To  Mrs.  Washington  he  said, 
*  Go  to  my  desk,  and  in  the  private  drawer  you  will  find 
two  papers — bring  them  to  me."    They  were  brought. 

Craik,  of  LouisyiUo,  Kentucky,  from  whom  I  roceired  the  foregoing  facts,  says  :  "  He 
was  a  stont,  thick-set  maik,  perfectly  erect,  no  stoo^  of  the  shoulders,  and  no  appear- 
aooe  of  debility  io  his  carriage.  Hot  long  beibra  bis  death  he  ran  a  race  Irith  me 
(then  about  eight  yean  old),  in  the  front  yard  of  the  house,  at  Vauclnse,  before  the 
assembled  family."  A  profile  of  Dr.  Craik,  in  Silhoutte,  may  be  found  in  a  work, 
by  the  author  of  these  notes,  entitled  Mount  Vernon  and  iu  Asiociqtions. 

*  These  were  Mrs.  Law  and  Mrs.  Peter,  and  (heir  hasbands,  the  grandchildren  of 
Mrs.  Washington  j  also  her  d«aghte^ia-law,  Mrs.  Stuarts  None  of  them  arrived 
before  Washington's  death. 

t  These  were  neighboring  physicians.  Dr.  Craik  bad  adrised  Washington  to 
send  for  Dr.  Brown,  of  Port  Tobacco,  in  the  event  of  severe  illness  in  his  £ftmily 
during  the  absence  of  Df.  Craik.  Dr.  EUsha  C.  Dick  was  genenUly  the  consnlting 
physician  with  Dr.  Craik. 


476  KBCOLLECnONS   OF  WASHINOTON. 

He  continued — "These  are  my  Wills — preserve  this  one 
and  bum  the  other,"  which  was  accordingly  done.  Call* 
ing  to  Colonel  Lear,  he  directed — ^  Let  my  corpse  be  kept 
for  the  usual  period  of  three  days.*^ 

The  custom  of  keeping  the  dead  for  the  scriptural 
period  of  three  days,  is  derived  from  remote  antiquity, 
and  arose,  not  from  fear  of  premature  interment^  as  in 
more  modem  times,  but  fix)m  motives  of  veneration 
toward  the  deceased ;  for  -the  better  enabling  the  relar 
tives  and  friends  to  assemble  from  a  distance,  to  perform 
the  funeral  rites ;  for  the  pious  watchings  of  the  corpse; 
and  for  many  sad,  yet  endearing  ceremonies  with  which 
we  delight  to  pay  our  last  duties  to  the  remains  of  those 
we  loved. 

The  patient  bore  his  acute  sufferings  with  fortitude 
and  perfect  resignation  to  the  Divine  will,  while  as  the 
night  advanced  it  became  evident  that  he  was  sinking, 
and  he  seemed  fully  aware  that  "  his  hour  was  nigh."' 
He  inquired  the  time,  and  was  answered  a  few  minutes 
to  ten.  He  spoke  no  more — the  hand  of  death  was 
upon  him,  and  he  was  conscious  that "  his  hour  was  come.'* 
With  surprising  self-possession  he  prepared  to  die.  Com- 
posing his  form  at  length,  and  folding  his  arms  on  his 
bosom,  without  a  sigh,  without  a  groan,  the  Father  of  his 
Coimtry  died.  No  pang  or  straggle  told  when  the  no- 
ble spirit  took  its  noiseless  flight  ;f  while  so  tranquil 

*  "  At  length,"  he  said,  "  I  am  jast  going.  Hare  me  decently  boned ;  and  do 
not  let  my  body  be  put  into  the  yanlt  in  less  than  three  days  after  I  am  dead." — 
Mr.  Learnt  ttatement. 

t  "Dr.  Craik,"  says  Mr.  Lear,  "put  his  hands  over  his  eyes,  and  he  expired 
without  a  straggle  or  a  sigh.  While  we  were  fixed  in  silent  grief,"  he  continnes, 
"  Mrs.  Washington,  who  was  sitting  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  asked,  with  a  firm  and 
collected  voice, '  Is  he  gone  V    I  could  not  speak,  but  held  up  my  hand  as  a  signal. 


LAST  HOURS   OF   WASHINGTON.  477 

appeared  the  manly  features  in  the  repose  of  death,  that 
some  moments  had  passed  ere  those  around  could  believe 
that  the  patriarch  was  no  more. 

It  may  be  asked,  Why  was  the  ministry  of  religion 
wanting  to  shed  its  peaceful  and  benign  lustre  upon  the 
last  hours  of  Washington  ?  Why  was  he,  to  whom  the 
observances  of  sacred  things  were  ever  primary  duties 
throughout  life,  without  their  consolations  in  his  last  mo- 
ments ?  We  answer,  circumstances  did  not  permit  It 
was  but  for  a  little  while  that  the  disease  assumed  so 
threatening  a  character  as  to  forbid  the  encouragement 
of  hope  ;  yet,  to  stay  that  summons  which  none  may  re- 
fuse, to  give  still  farther  length  of  days  to  him  whose 
^  time-honored  life"  was  so  dear  to  mankind,  prayer  was 
not  wanting  to  the  throne  of  Grace.  Close  to  the  couch 
of  the  sufferer,  resting  her  head  upon  that  ancient  book, 
with  which  she  had  been  wont  to  hold  pious  commimion 
a  portion  of  every  day,  for  more  than  half  a  century,  was 
the  venerable  consort,  absorbed  in  silent  prayer,  and 
from  which  she  only  arose  when  the  mourning  group 
prepared  to  lead  her  from  the  chamber  of  the  dead. 
Such  were  the  last  hours  of  Washington."*" 

that  he  was  no  more.  '  'Tie  well/  sud  she,  ia  the  same  roice, '  all  is  now  over ;  I 
shall  soon  follow  him ;  I  hare  no  more  trials  to  pass  through.' " 

*  Washington  died  on  Saturday  night,  the  fourteenth  of  Decemher,  1799,  between 
the  hours  of  ten  and  eleven.  On  Sunday  a  coffin  was  procured  from  Alexandria 
and  on  the  same  day  several  of  the  family  arrived.  The  coffin  was  made  of  mar 
hogany,  lined  with  lead,  and  upon  it  was  placed  at  the  head,  an  ornament  inscribed 
SuBOB  AD  Judicium;  about  the  middle  of  the  coffin,  Globia  Dbo  ;  and  on  a  small 
silver  plate,  in  the  form  of  the  American  shield,  were  the  words : 
GEORGE   WASHINGTON, 

BOBH  VBB.  23,  17dS. 
DIED   DBCBMBBB    14,    1799. 

The  time  for  the  funeral  was  fixed  on  Wednesday  the  eighteenth,  at  twelve  o'clock, 
uid  the  Bev.  Mr.  Davis  was  invited  to  perform  the  funeral  services,  according  to  the 


478  KBCOLLBCnONS  OF  WjUSHINOTQN. 

ritual  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church.  The  familj  having  been  informed  tiial 
the  military  and  Freemasons  of  Alexandria  desired  to  participate  in  the  ceremoniea, 
arrangements  were  made  accordingly.  People  began  to  collect  at  Mount  Vemoii 
at  eleren  o'clock ;  bat  as  a  great  part  of  the  troops  did  not  get  down  from  Aksao- 
dria  in  time,  the  ceremonies  were  postponed  nntil  three.  Sleren  pieces  of  artillery 
were  brought  down  from  Alexandria ;  and  a  schooner  belonging  to  Mr.  Robert  Ham- 
ilton, of  that  city,  lay  off  Monnt  Vernon,  and  fired  minute-guns. 

The  arrangements,  of  the  procession  were  made  by  Colonels  Little,  Simms,  Den- 
eale,  and  Dr.  Dick.    It  mored  at  three  o'clock.    The  pall-bearers  were  Colonels 
Little,  Simms,  Payne,  Gilpin,  Ramsay,  and  Marsleter.     Colonel  Blackburn  pr»- 
oeded  the  corpse.    Colonel  Deneale  marched  with  the  military.     The  prooassioa 
moved  out  through  the  gate  at  the  left  wing  of  the  house,  and  proceeded  round  in 
front  of  the  lawn,  and  down  to  the  vault  on  the  right  wing  of  the  house.    The  fol- 
lowing was  the  composition  and  order  of  the  procession  :— 
The  troops,  horse  and  foot. 
The  clergy,  namely,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Davis,  Mair,  Moffat,  and  Addison. 
The  general's  horse,  with  his  saddle,  holsters,  and  pistols,  led  by  two  grooms, 
Cyms,  and  Wilson,  in  blaok. 
The  body,  borne  by  the  Freemasons  and  officers. 
Principal  mourners,  namely, 
Mn.  Stnart  and  Mrs.  Law. 
Hisses  Kancy  and  Sally  Stuart. 
Miss  Fairfax  and  Miss  Dennison. 
Mr.  Law  and  Mr.  Peter. 
Mr.  Lear  and  Dr.  Ccaik. 
Lord  Fairfax  and  Ferdinando  Fairfax. 
Lodge,  No.  23. 
Corporation  of  Alexandria. 
All  odier  persons,  preceded  by  Mr.  Anderson  and  the  overseer. 
When  the  body  arrived  at  the  vault,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Davis  read  the  service,  and 
pronounced  a  short  address.    The  Masons  then  performed  their  ceremonies,  and  the 
body  was  deposited  in  the  vault    Three  general  discharges  of  musketry  were  given 
by  the  iniantry ;  and  eleven  pieces  of  artillery,  which  were  ranged  back  of  the  Taak» 
and  simultaneously  dischaiged,  "  paid  the  last  tribute  to  the  entombed  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States."    The  vault  was  the  old  one,  on  the  biow 
of  the  hill,  now  in  ruins.  The  new  tomb,  directed  by  Washington,  in  his  Will,  to  be 
constructed,  was  not  made  until  many  years  afterward. 

The  Congress,  then  sitting  in  Philadelphia^  received  information  of  the  death  of 
Washington  on  the  eighteenth,  and  on  the  following  day  the  announcement  w«s 
formally  made  on  the  floor  of  the  honse  of  representatives,  by  the  Honorable  John 
Marshall,  of  Virginia  (afterward  chief  justice  of  the  United  States),  and  the  house, 
after  some  appropriate  action,  adjoomed.  On  the  twenty-third,  the  Congress  adopt- 
ed joint  resolutions  — Jint,  that  a  marble  monument  should  be  erected  at  the  capitol, 
already  mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter ;  tecondl^,  that  there  should  be  "  afonemi 
pffooession  from   Congress  hall  to  the  German  Lutheran  church,  in  memoxy  of 


LAST  HOUBS  OF  WASHINGTON.  479 

General  Geoige  Washington,  on  Thnndaj  the  twenty-sixth  instant,  and  that  an 
oration  be  prepared  at  the  request  of  Congress,  to  be  delivered  before  both  houses 
that  day;  and  that  the  president  of  the  senate,  and  the  speaker  of  the  house  of  rep- 
resentatives, be  desired  to  request  one  of  the  members  of  Congress  to  perform  and 
deliver  the  same ;  thirdly,  that  the  people  of  the  United  States  should  be  recommend- 
ed to  wear  crape  on  their  left  arm  as  mourning  for  thirty  days  ;  fourthly,  that  the 
president  of  the  United  States  should  direct  a  copy  of  the  resolutions  to  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington, with  words  of  condolence,  and  a  request  that  his  remains  might  be  interred 
at  the  capitol  of  the  Republic. 

On  the  thirtieth  of  December,  Congress  further  resolved  that  it  should  be  recom- 
mended to  the  people  of  the  Union,  to  assemble  on  the  succeeding  twenty-second  of 
February,  "  to  testify  their  grief  by  suitable  eulogies,  orations,  and  discourses,  or  by 
public  prayers." 

FnEsnant  to  one  of  the  foregoing  resolutions,  General  Henry  Lee,  then  a  member 
of  Congress,  was  invited  to  pronoanco  a  funeral  oration.  He  consented,  and  the 
Lutheran  chiwch  in  Fonrth  street,  above  Arch,  Philadelphia,  the  laigeet  in  the  eity, 
was  crowded  tn.  tiie  oceasion.  tTfae  ICFherson  Blues,  a  eorps  of  three  hundred 
men,  composed  of  the  dite  of  the  city,  were  a  guard  of  honor  on  that  occasion. 
There  are  now  [July,  1859]  only  six  survivors  of  that  corps,  who  were  present  on  the 
occasion,  namely,  Samuel  Breck,  aged  eighty-eight,  S.  Palmer,  aged  seventy-nine, 
8.  F.  Smith,  aged  seventy-nine,  C.  N.  Banckcr,  aged  eighty-three,  Quinton 
Campbell,  aged  pighty-throe,  and  John  F.  Watson  (the  annalist  of  Philadelphia  and 
New  Toik),  aged  eighty.  These  names  were  given  me  by  Ur.  Breck,  at  a  recent 
interview.  General  Lee'f  oration  on  that  occasion  will  be  found  in  the  Apfiendix 
10  this  Tolnme. 


480  BECOLLBcnom  of  wAsmNoioif. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

PERSONAL  APPEARANCB  OP  WASHmOTON. 

Common  Likkros  or  PosTmAm— Fazlvsk  zr  ms  Dklikxatioh  or  Washxhcton^  Fmvkx — 
Hn  FoKM  AKD  WuoiiT— Tbvmbull^  E^xnuTBiAH  Status  or  WASHrnQTOK—WAumraioif^ 
HnoRT— Hn  Limbs— Pomnt  or  as  Abm  sdplatxd— Illvbtbatiov  arm  bt  OoAjoMi 
WiLUBON  PxALB— East  Sziboisb  or  His  Povxbs — WxBsruNa — Ajraoi>OTX  or  His  Eaxlt 

Lm  — HuLAXOBHaITD  — HnSlSBMBLAXaB  to  BALPH  IzABD  —  WASHIMQTOlf ^  FxATinus 

—  Hn  Equbstei Aif  Aooomplisiimbkts — Mabkbd  rom  Hn  Maxtial  Euboaxox  ix  New  Yobx 
— Anbodotb. 

All  of  the  many  portraits  which  have  been  given  of 
Washington^  possess  a  resemblance,  from  the  drawings  on 
a  signboard  to  the  galleries  of  taste  *  He  was  so  unique, 
so  imlike  any  one  else,  his  whole  appearance  so  striking 
and  impressive,  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  make  a 
total  failure,  in  forming  a  likeness  of  him,  *^on  whom 
every  God  appeared  to  have  set  his  seal,  to  give  the 
world  assurance  of  a  man." 

While  several  original  pictures  and  sculptures  are  ex- 
cellent likenesses  of  his  physiognomy,  in  various  stages 
of  life,  there  has  been  a  general  failure  in  the  delineation 
of  his  figure.  His  manliness  has  been  misrepresented  by 
bulkiness,  while  his  vigorous,  elastic  frame,  in  which  so 
many  graces  combined,  has  been  drawn  from  the  model 

*  John  B.  Moreaa,  Esquire,  of  New  York,  has  a  largo  collection  of  engraTcd  por- 
traits of  Washington,  American  and  foreign.  Among  them  are  one  hundred  and 
five  different  engravings,  all  dissimilar.  Tot,  with  a  few  exceptions,  all  present  some 
resemhlance  to  Washington,  as  delineated  by  tito  best  artists. 


PERSONAL  AFPSARANGE  OF  WASHINOTON.  4B1 

of  Ajax^  when  its  true  personification  should  be  that  of 
Achilles. 

With  all  its  developments  of  muscular  power,  the  form 
of  Washington  had  no  appearance  of  bulkiness,  and  so 
harmonious  were  its  proportions  that  he  did  not  appear 
so  passing  tall  as  his  portraits  have  represented.  He  was 
rather  spare  than  full  during  his  whole  life ;  this  is  readily 
ascertained  from  his  weight  The  last  time  he  weighed 
was  in  the  summer  of  1799,  when  having  made  the  tour 
of  his  farms,  accompanied  by  an  English  gentleman,  he 
called  at  his  mill  and  was  weighed.  The  writer  placed 
the  weight  in  the  scales.  The  Englishman,  not  so  tall, 
but  stout,  square  built,  and  fleshy,  weighed  heavily,  and 
expressed  much  surprise  that  the  general  had  not  out- 
weighed him,  when  Washington  observed,  that  the  best 
weight  of  his  best  days  never  exceeded  from  two  hun- 
dred and  ten  to  two  hundred  and  twenty  pounds.  In  the 
instance  alluded  to  he  weighed  a  little  rising  two  hun- 
dred and  ten. 

Of  the  portraits  of  Washington,  the  most  of  them  give 
to  his  person  a  fullness  that  it  did  not  possess,  together 
with  an  abdominal  enlargement  greater  than  in  the  life, 
while  his  matchless  limbs  have  in  but  two  instances  been 
faithfully  portrayed — in  the  equestrian  portrait  by  Trum- 
bull, of  1790,  a  copy  of  which  is  in  the  city  hall  of  New 
York,  and  in  an  engraving  by  Loisier,  from  a  painting 
by  Cogniet^  French  artists  of  distinguished  merit  The 
latter  is  not  an  original  painting,  the  head  being  from 
Stuart,  but  the  delineation  of  the  limbs  is  the  most  per- 
fect extant"^ 

General  Washington,  in  tiie  prime  of  life,  stood  six 

*  See  the  next  chapter. 
31 


482  BBCOLLBCnONB  OF  WA8SING1!0ir* 

feet  two  inches,  and  measured  precisely  six  feet  when 
attired  for  the  grave.  From  the  period  of  the  Revolu- 
tion^  there  was  an  evident  bending  in  that  frame  so  pass- 
ing straight  before,  but  the  stoop  is  attributable  rather  to 
the  care  and  toils  of  that  arduous  contest  than  to  age : 
for  his  step  was  firm,  and  his  carriage  noble  and  oomr 
manding,  long  after  the  time  when  the  phjrsical  proper- 
ties of  man  are  supposed  to  be  in  the  wane. 

To  a  majestic  height,  was  added  correspondent  breadth 
and  firmness,  and  his  whole  person  was  so  cast  in  na- 
ture's finest  mould  as  to  resemble  the  classic  remains 
of  ancient  statuary,  where  all  the  parts  contribute  to  the 
purity  and  perfection  of  the  whole. 

The  power  of  Washington's  arm  was  displayed  in  seiF- 
end  memorable  instances ;  in  his  throwing  a  stone  from 
the  bed  of  the  stream  to  the  top  of  the  Natural  Bridge ; 
another  over  the  Palisades  into  the  Hudson,  and  yet  an- 
other across  the  Rappahannock,  at  Fredericksbiu^.  Of 
the  article  with  which  he  spanned  this  bold  and  navigar 
ble  stream,  there  are  various  accounts.  We  are  assured 
that  it  was  a  piece  of  slate,  fashioned  to  about  the  sise 
and  shape  of  a  dollar,  and  which,  sent  by  an  arm  so 
strong,  not  only  spanned  the  river,  but  took  the  ground 
at  least  thirty  yards  on  the  other  side.  Nimibers  have 
since  tried  this  feat,  but  none  have  cleared  the  water. 
T?is  the  *^  Douglas  cast,"  made  in  the  days  when  Vir. 
ginia's  men  were  strong,  as  her  maids  are  fitir ;  when  the 
hardy  sports  of  the  gymnasium  prepared  the  body  to 
answer  the  *  trumpet  call  to  war,"  and  gave  vigor  and 
elevation  to  the  mind,  while  our  modem  habits  would 
rather  fit  the  youth  ^to  caper  nimbly  in  a  lady's 
chamber." 


PERSONAL  APPEABAKGB  OF  WASHDrOTON.  483 

While  the  late  and  venerable  Charles  Willson  Peale 
was  at  Mount  Yemon,  in  1772^  engaged  in  painting  the 
portrait  of  the  provincial  colonel^  some  young  men  were 
oontending  in  the  exercise  of  pitching  the  bar.  Wash- 
ington looked  on  for  a  time,  then  grasping  the  missile  in 
his  master  hand,  whirled  the  iron  through  the  air,  which 
took  the  ground  &r,  very  far,  beyond  any  of  its  former 
limits — the  colonel  observing,  with  a  smile,  ^You  per- 
ceive, young  gentlemen,  that  my  arm  yet  retains  some 
portion  of  the  vigor  of  my  earlier  days."  He  was  then 
in  his  fortieth  year,  and  probably  in  the  full  meridian  of 
his  physical  powers;  but  those  powers  became  rather 
mellowed  than  decayed  by  time,  for  ^his  age  was  like  a 
lusty  winter,  fix)sty  yet  kindly,*'  and,  up  to  his  sixty- 
eighth  year,  he  mounted  a  horse  with  surprising  agility^ 
and  rode  with  the  ease  and  gracefulness  of  his  better 
days.  His  personal  prowess  that  elicited  the  admiration 
of  a  people  who  have  nearly  all  passed  from  the  stage  of 
life,  still  serves  as  a  model  for  the  manhood  of  modem 
times. ' 

In  the  various  exhibitions  of  Washington's  great  phys- 
ical powers,  they  were  apparently  attended  by  scarcely 
any  eflTort  When  he  overthrew  the  strong  man  of  Vir- 
ginia in  wrestling,  while  many  of  the  finest  of  the  young 
athletsd  of  the  times  were  engaged  in  the  manly  games, 
Washington  had  retired  to  the  shade  of  a  tree,  intent 
upon  the  perusal  of  a  favorite  volume ;  and  it  was  only 
when  the  champion  of  the  games  strode  through  the 
ring,  calling  for  nobler  competitors,  and  taunting  the 
student  with  the  reproach  that  it  was  the  fear  of  en- 
coimtering  so  redoubted  an  antagonist  that  kept  him 
firom  the  ring,  that  Washington  closed  his  book,  and, 


484  BEOOLLBCnOKS  OF  WA8HINQT0N. 

without  divesting  himself  of  his  coat^  calmly  walked  into 
the  arena>  observing,  that  fear  formed  no  part  of  his  b^ 
ing ;  then  grappling  with  the  champion,  the  struggle  was 
fierce  but  momentary,  for,  said  the  vanquished  hero  of 
the  arena^  in  Washington's  lion-like  grasp,  I  became 
powerless,  and  was  hurled  to  the  ground  with  a  force 
that  seemed  to  jar  the  very  marrow  in  my  bones ;  wMLe 
the  victor,  regardless  of  the  shouts  that  proclaimed  his 
triumph,  leisurely  retired  to  his  shade,  and  the  enjoy- 
ment of  his  favorite  volume. 

Washington's  powers  were  chiefly  in  his  limbs :  they 
were  long,  large,  and  sinewy.  His  frame  was  of  equal 
breadth  from  the  shoulders  to  the  hips.  His  cheat, 
though  broad  and  expansive,  was  not  prominent,  but 
rather  hollowed  in  the  centre.  He  had  suffered  from  a 
pulmonary  affection  in  early  life,  from  which  he  never 
entirely  recovered.  His  frame  showed  an  extraordinary 
development  of  bone  and  muscle  j  his  joints  were  large, 
as  were  his  feet ;  and  could  a  cast  have  been  preserved 
of  his  hand,  to  be  exhibited  in  these  degenerate  daycf,  it 
would  be  said  to  have  belonged  to  the  being  of  a  fabulous 
age.  During  Lafayette's  visit  to  Mount  Vernon  in  1825, 
he  said  to  the  writer,  ^^I  never  saw  so  large  a  hand  on 
any  human  being,  as  the  general's.  It  was  in  this  port- 
ico, in  1784,  that  you  were  introduced  to  me  by  the  gen- 
eral. You  were  a  very  little  gentleman,  with  a  feather 
in  your  hat,  and  holding  fast  to  one  finger  of  the  good 
general's  remarkable  hand,  which  was  all  you  could  do, 
my  dear  sir,  at  that  time." 

To  a  question  that  we  have  been  asked  a  thousand 
and-  one  times,  viz. — to  what  individual,  known  to  any 
who  are  yet  living,  did  the  person  of  Washington  bear 


FEBSONAI.  APPBARANOE  OF  WASHINGTON.  486 

the  nearest  resemblance? — we  answer,  to  Ralph  Izard, 
senator  from  South  Carolina,  in  the  first  Congress  under 
the  Constitution.  The  form  of  Izard  was  cast  in  nature's 
manliest  mould,  while  his  air  and  manner  were  both  dig- 
nified and  imposing.  He  acquired  great  distinction  while 
pursuing  his  studies  in  England,  for  his  remarkable  prow- 
ess in  the  athletic  exercises  of  that  distant  period.* 

An  ofl&cer  of  the  Life-Guard  has  been  often  heard  to 
observe,  that  the  commander-in-chief  was  thought  to  be 
the  strongest  man  in  the  army,  and  yet  what  thews  and 
sinews  were  to  be  found  in  the  army  of  the  Revolution. 
In  1781,  a  company  of  riflemen  firom  the  county  of  Au- 
gusta, in  Virginia,  reinforced  the  troops  of  Lafayette. 
As  the  stalwart  band  of  mountaineers,  defiled  before  the 
general,  the  astonished  and  admiring  Frenchman  ex- 
claimed, ^Mon  Dieu!  what  a  people  are  these  Ameri- 
cans ;  they  have  reinforced  me  with  a  band  of  giants !" 

Washington's  physiognomy  was  decidedly  Roman — 
not  in  its  type  expressing  the  reckless  ambition  of  the 
^  broad-fix)nted  Caesar,"  or  the  luxurious  indulgence  of 
the  "  curled  Anthony,"  but  rather  of  the  better  age  of 
Borne — the  Fabius  Maximus,  Marcellus,  or  the  Scipios. 

An  equestrian  portraiture  is  particularly  well  suited  to 
him  who  rode  so  well,  and  who  was  much  attached  to 
the  noble  animal  which  so  oft  and  so  gallantly  had  borne 
him  in  the  chase,  in  war,  and  in  the  perilous  service  of 
the  frontier.    Rickets,  the  celebrated  equestrian,  used  to 

*  Ralph  Izard  represented  Soath  Carolina  in  the  United  States  senate,  from  1789 
to  1795.  He  was  disting;aished  as  an  eloquent  statesman,  and  was  loved  bj  Wash- 
ington for  his  integrity  and  pnrity  of  character.  In  the  senate  he  had  the  confidence 
of  all  parties.  Mr.  Izard  was  wealthy,  and  held  a  high  social  distinction.  His  wife 
was  a  daughter  of  Peter  Delanoey,  of  New  York.  Mr.  Izard  died  in  May,  1804,  at 
the  ago  of  sixty-six  years. 


486  BMOLLBCnONS  OF  WAflHINOIQN. 

say,  ^  I  delight  to  see  the  general  ride,  and  make  it  a 
point  to  Ml  in  with  him  when  I  hear  that  he  is  abroad 
on  horseback — his  seat  is  so  firm,  his  management  so 
easy  and  graceful,  that  I,  who  am  a  professor  of  horw- 
manship,  would  go  to  him  and  learn  to  ride" 

Bred  in  the  vigorous  school  of  the  frontier  warfare^ 
^  the  earth  his  bed,  his  canopy  the  heavens,"  he  excelled 
the  hunter  and  woodsman  in  their  athletic  habits,  and  in 
those  trials  of  manhood  which  distinguished  the  hardy 
days  of  his  early  life.  He  was  amazingly  swift  of  foot, 
and  could  climb  the  mountain  steep,  and  ^  not  a  sob  con- 
fess his  toil'' 

So  long  ago  as  the  days  of  the  vice-regal  comrt  at 
Williamsburg,  in  the  time  of  Lord  Botetourt,  Colonel 
Washington  was  remarkable  for  his  splendid  person.  The 
air  with  which  he  wore  a  small  sword,  and  his  peculiar 
walk,  that  had  the  light  elastic  tread  acquired  by  his 
long  service  on  the  frontier,  and  a  matter  of  much  ob- 
servation, especially  to  foreigners. 

While  Colonel  Washington  was  on  a  visit  to  New 
York,  in  1773,*  it  was  boasted  at  the  table  of  the 
British  governor  that  a  regiment,  just  landed  from 
England,  contained  among  its  officers  some  of  the 
finest  specimens  of  martial  elegance  in  his  Majesty's 
service — ^in  fact,  the  most  superb  looking  fellows  ever 
landed  upon  the  shores  of  the  New  World.  **I  wager 
your  excellency  a  pair  of  gloves,"  said  Mrs.  Morris,  an 
American  lady,  ^  that  I  will  show  you  a  finer  man  in  the 
procession  to-morrow,  than  your  excellency  can  select 

*  Washington  Tuited  New  York,  on  that  occasion,  for  the  purpose  of  placing 
Mm.  Washington's  son,  John  Farice  Cortis,  in  King's  (now  Colnmbia)  college. 
He  arriTed  there  on  the  thirty-first  of  May,  and  remained  nntil  after  the  king's 
birthday,  the  fourth  of  Jnne. 


PEBSOVAIi  mXABANCn  OF  WA8HINQT0N.  487 

ficom  jour  fiunous  regiment  V — ^  Done,  madam  I"  replied 
the  governor.  The  morrow  came  (the  fourth  of  June), 
and  the  procession,  in  honor  of  the  birthday  of  the  king, 
advanced  through  Broadway  to  the  strains  of  military 
musia  As  the  troops  defiled  before  the  governor,  he 
pointed  out  to  the  lady  several  officers  by  name,  claim- 
ing her  admiration  for  their  superior  persons  and  bril- 
liant equipments.  In  rear  of  the  troops  came  a  band  of 
officers  not  on  duty — colonial  officers — and  strangers  of 
distinction.  Immediately,  on  their  approach,  the  atten- 
tion of  the  governor  was  seen  to  be  directed  toward  a 
tall  and  martial  figure,  that  marched  with  grave  and 
measured  tread,  apparently  indififerent  to  the  scene 
around  him.  The  lady  now  archly  observed,  ^1  per- 
ceive that  your  excellency's  eyes  are  turned  to  the 
right  object;  what  say  you  to  your  wager  now,  sir?' 
** Lost,  madam,"  replied  the  gallant  governor;  ^ when  I 
laid  my  wager,  I  was  not  aware  that  Colonel  Washing- 
ton was  in  New  York.*'* 

*  The  following  interei ting  sketch  of  the  personal  appearance  of  Washington  is 
fh>m  an  anonymous  hand  :*- 

"  I  saw  this  remarkable  man  fonr  times.  It  was  in  the  month  of  KoTember, 
1798, 1  first  beheld  the  Father  of  his  Conntry.  It  was  yerj  cold,  the  northwest  wind 
blowing  bard  down  the  Potomac,  at  Qeoigetown,  D.  C.  A  troop  of  light-horse 
from  Alexandria  escorted  him  to  the  western  bank  of  the  river.  The  waves  ran 
high,  and  the  boat  which  bronght  him  over  seemed  to  labor  considerablj.  Seyend 
tfaossand  people  greeted  his  arriyal  with  swelling  hearts  and  joyfol  ooantenances ; 
the  military  were  d»wn  np  in  a  long  line  to  receive  him ;  the  officers,  dressed  in 
regimentals,  did  him  homage.  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  walk  by  his  side,  and  had  a 
fall  view  of  him.  Although  only  about  ten  years  of  age,  the  impression  his  person 
and  manner  then  made  on  me  is  now  perfectly  revived.  He  was  six  feet  and  one 
inch  high,  broad  and  athletic,  with  veiy  large  limbs,  entirely  erect,  and  without  the 
slightest  tendency  to  stooping ;  his  hair  was  white,  and  tied  with  a  silk  string,  his 
countenance  lofty,  masculine,  and  contemplative;  his  eye  liglit  gray.  He  was 
dressed  in  the  clothes  of  %  citiaen,  and  over  these  a  blue  surtout  of  the  finest  doth. 
His  weight  must  have  been  two  hundred  and  thirty  pounds,  with  no  superfluous 
flesh,  all  was  bone  and  sinew,  and  he  walked  like  a  soldier.    Whoever  has  seen,  in 


488  BEOOIUBCXIONS  OF  WASHINGION. 

In  person,  Washington,  as  we  have  said,  was  unique. 
He  looked  like  no  one  else.    To  a  stature  lofty  and 

the  patentoiBco  at  Washington,  the  dress  he  wore  when  resigning  his  commission 
as  commander-in-chief,  in  December,  1783,  at  once  perceives  how  largo  and  ma^ 
nificent  was  his  frame.  During  the  parade,  something  at  a  distance  suddenly 
attracted  his  attention ;  his  eje  was  instantaneonslj  lighted  up  as  with  the  light- 
ning's flash.  At  this  moment  I  see  its  marvellons  animation,  its  glowing  fire, 
exhibiting  strong  passion,  controlled  bj  deliberate  reason. 

"In  the  summer  of  1799  I  again  saw  the  chief.  He  rode  a  purelj  white  horM, 
seventeen  hands  high,  well  proportioned,  of  high  spirit :  he  almost  seemed  con- 
scious that  he  bore  on  his  back  the  Father  of  his  Ck>unti7.  He  reminded  me  of  the 
war-horso  whose  neck  is  clothed  with  thunder.  I  have  seen  some  highly-accom- 
plished riders,  but  not  one  of  them  approached  Washington ;  he  was  perfect  in  this 
respect  Behind  him,  at  the  distance  of  perhaps  forty  yards,  came  BUly  Lee,  his 
body-servant,  who  had  perilled  his  life  in  many  a  field,  beginning  on  the  heights  of 
Boston,  in  1775,  and  ending  in  1781,  when  Comwallis  surrendered,  and  the  captive 
army,  with  unexpressible  chagrin,  laid  down  their  arms  at  Yorktown.  Billy  rode 
a  cream-colored  horse,  of  the  finest  form,  and  his  old  Revolutionary  cocked  hat  indi- 
cated that  its  owner  had  often  heard  the  roar  of  cannon  and  small  arms,  and  had 
encountered  many  trying  scenes.  Billy  was  a  dark  mulatto.  His  master  speaks 
highly  of  him  in  his  will,  and  provides  for  his  support. 

"  Sometime  during  this  year,  perhaps,  I  saw  him  at  Seeme's  tavern,  in  George- 
town ;  the  steps,  porch,  and  street,  were  crowded  with  persons  desirous  of  behold- 
ing the  man. 

"  I  viewed  him  through  a  window.  The  most  venerable,  dignified,  and  wealthy 
men  of  the  town  were  there,  some  conversing  with  him.  Washington  seemed 
almost  a  different  being  from  any  of  them,  and,  indeed,  from  any  other  person  ever 
reared  in  this  country.  His  countenance  was  not  so  animated  as  when  I  first  aaw 
him,  for  then  his  complexion  was  as  ruddy  as  if  he  were  only  twenty  years  old. 

"  A  few  months  before  his  death,  I  beheld  this  extraordinary  man  for  the  last 
time.  He  stopped  at  the  tavern  opposite  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  Bridge  street 
Georgetown.  At  that  time,  a  regiment  of  soldiers  was  stationed  in  their  tents,  on 
the  banks  of  Hock  creek,  and  frequently  attended  Dr.  Batch's  church,  dressed  in 
their  costume,  and  powdered  after  the  Revolutionary  fashion.  I  attended  thehr 
parade  almost  every  day,  and,  on  one  of  these  occasions,  I  recognised  Washington 
riding  on  horseback,  unaccompanied  by  any  one.  He  was  going  out  to  see  his 
houses  on  Capitol  hill,  as  I  supposed.  They  were  burnt  by  the  British,  in  181 4. 
My  youthful  eye  was  riveted  on  him  until  he  disappeared,  and  that  for  ever.  I  was 
surprised,  that  he  did  not  once  look  at  the  parade ;  so  far  as  I  could  discover,  on 
the  contrary,  he  appeared  indifferent  to  the  whole  scene. 

"  It  has  been  my  privilege  to  sec  the  best  likenesses  of  the  chief.  The  one  of  all 
othere  most  resembling  him,  is  that  prefixed  to  the  first  volume  of  'Irving's  Life 
of  Washington.'  All  the  rest  wanted  the  animation  which  I  perceived  in  his  fmt 
tales. 


PERSONAL  APPEARANCE  OF  WASHINGTON.  489 

commanding^  he  united  a  form  of  the  manliest  propor- 
tions^ limbs  cast  in  Nature's  finest  mouldy  and  a  carriage 
the  most  dignified^  graceful,  and  imposing.  No  one  ever 
approached  the  Pater  Patriaa  that  did  not  feel  his  pre- 
sence. 

Of  the  remarkable  degree  of  awe  and  reverence  that 
the  presence  of  Washington  always  inspired,  we  shall 
give  one  out  of  a  thousand  instances.  During  the 
cantonment  of  the  American  army  at  the  Valley  Forge, 
some  officers  of  the  fourth  Pennsylvania  regiment  were 
engaged  in  a  game  of  fives.  In  the  midst  of  their  sport, 
they  discovered  the  commander-in-chief  leaning  upon 
the  enclosure,  and  beholding  the  game  with  evident  sat- 
isfaction. In  a  moment  all  things  were  changed.  The 
ball  was  suffered  to  roll  idly  away;  the  gay  laugh  and 
joyous  shout  of  excitement  were  hushed  into  a  pro- 
found silence,  and  the  officers  were  gravely  grouped 
together.  It  was  in  vain  the  chief  begged  of  the 
players  that  they  would  proceed  with  their  game, 
declared  the  pleasure  he  had  experienced  from  wit- 
nessing their  skill,  spoke  of  a  proficiency  in  the  manly 
exercise  that  he  himself  could  have  boasted  of  in  other 
days.  All  would  not  do.  Not  a  man  could  be  induced 
to  move,  till  the  general,  finding  that  his  presence 
hindered  the  officers  firom  continuing  the  amusement, 
bowed,  and,  wishing  them  good  sport,  retired.* 

"  In  personal  appeanince,  Washington  has  neyer  been  eqoalled  by  any  man  in 
the  United  States.  I  agree  with  Lord  Erskine,  when  he  said  that  the  Father  of  his 
Country  was  the  only  man  he  ever  saw  whose  character  he  coald  not  contemplate 
without  awe  and  wonder.  B." 

*  A  part  of  this  chapter  was  published  in  the  Nati<mal  Intelligencer  in  1826,  a  part 
in  1842,  and  a  part  in  1857.  As  each  communication  was  upon  the  same  subject, 
and  in  some  paragraphs  quite  similar  in  fitct  and  expression,  I  have  combined  the 
three  parts  in  one.    In  February,  1847,  the  following  article  on  the  Character  ond 


490  BMOIUCnONB  09  WJUmNQfOH. 

Pinomd  AppeaaroMCf  rf  Weuhuigtom,  appeand  in  the  JNtOional  InidUgenoer,  ofw  the 
Bignatnre  of  Sigma,  and  appemn  to  have  an  appropriate  place  here  :— 

"  The  description  given  hj  *  B.'  [a  eorretpondent  of  the  Intdligaieer]  of  Waahiny- 
ton'a  approach  to  the  hall  of  CoBgnia  in  Philadelphia,  haa  freshly  awakened  wj  own 
nminiBcenees  of  the  same  scene.  Its  Tirid  tmth  can  not  be  surpassed.  I  stood  with 
him  on  that  same  stone  platform,  before  the  door  of  the  hall,  eloTated  bj  a  few  stepa 
from  the  pavement,  when  the  carriage  of  the  president  drew  np.  It  was,  aa  he  da- 
scribes  it,  white,  or  rather  of  a  light  cream  color,  painted  on  the  panels  with  bsantiAd 
gronps,  by  Cipriani,  representing  the  fonr  seasons.  The  horMs,  according  to  mj 
recollection,  were  white,  in  anison  with  the  carriage.  B.  sajrs  thej  were  bays ;  per- 
haps he  is  more  correct  As  he  alighted,  and,  ascending  the  steps,  paused  upon  the 
platform,  looking  over  his  shoulder,  in  an  attitude  that  would  hare  ftimished  an  ad- 
mirable subject  for  the  pencil,  he  was  preceded  by  two  gentlemen  bearing  long  white 
wands,  who  kept  back  the  eager  crowd  that  pressed  on  eyeiy  side  to  get  a  nearer 
Tiew.  At  that  moment  I  stood  so  near  that  I  might  have  touched  his  clothes ;  but  I 
should  as  soon  have  thought  of  touching  an  electric  battery.  I  was  penetrated  with 
a  yeneretion  amounting  to  the  deepest  awe.  Nor  was  this  the  feeling  of  a  sehool-b^ 
only ;  it  pervaded,  I  believe,  every  hnman  beuig  that  approached  Washington;  and 
I  have  been  told  that,  even  in  his  social  and  convivial  hours,  this  feeling  in  those  who 
were  honored  to  share  them  never  suffered  intermission.  I  saw  him  a  hundred  times 
afterward,  but  never  with  any  other  than  that  same  feeling.  The  Almlgh^,  who 
raised  up  for  our  hour  of  need  a  man  so  peculiarly  prepared  for  its  whole  dread  re- 
sponsibility, seems  to  have  put  an  impress  of  sacredness  upon  his  own  instrument 
The  fint  sight  of  the  man  struck  the  heart  with  involnntaiy  homage,  and  prepared 
eveiything  around  him  to  obey.  When  he  'addressed  himself  to  speak'  there 
was  an  unconscious  suspension  of  the  breath,  while  every  eye  was  raised  in  expec- 
tation. 

"  At  the  time  I  speak  of  he  stood  in  profound  silenoe,  and  had  that  statue-like  air 
which  mental  greatness  alone  can  bestow.  As  he  turned  to  enter  the  buUding,  and 
was  ascending  the  staircase  leading  to  the  Congressional  hall,  I  glided  along  unpa^ 
ceived,  almost  under  cover  of  the  skirts  of  his  dress,  and  entered  instantly  afker  hia 
into  the  lobby  of  the  house,  which  was  of  course  in  session  to  receive  hinoL  On 
either  hand,  from  the  entrance,  stood  a  laiige  cast-iron  stove ;  and,  resolved  to  secure 
the  unhoped-for  privilege  I  had  so  unexpectedly  obtained,  I  clambered,  boy-like,  on 
this  stove  (fortunately  then  not  much  heated),  and  from  that  fiivoraMe  devatkm,  en- 
joyed, for  the  first  time  (what  I  have  since  so  many  thousands  of  times  witnessed 
with  comparative  indifference),  an  uninterrupted  view  of  the  American  Congress  in 
full  session,  every  member  in  his  place.  Shall  I  be  pardoned  for  saying  its  aspect 
was  very  different  from  what  we  now  witness  1  There  was  an  air  of  decorum,  of 
composure,  of  reflection,  of  gentlemanly  and  polished  digni^,  which  has  fled,  or  lia- 
gen  only  with  here  and  there  a  'relic  of  the  olden  time.' 

"  The  house  seemed  then  ib  composed  as  the -senate  now  is  when  an  impressive 
speech  is  in  the  act  of  delivery.  On  Washington's  entrance  the  most  profound  and 
death-like  stillness  prevailed.  House,  lobbies,  gallery,  all  were  wnpped  in  the 
deepest  attention ;  and  the  souls  of  that  entire  assemblage  seemed  peering  from  their 


PERSONAL  APPMRANGB  OF  WASHmOTOK.  491 

ey«  on  tho  noble  flgnro  which  doHbomtaly,  and  wilh  aa  unaffected  but  snrpaseing 
majesty,  advanced  up  the  broad  aiilo  of  the  hall  between  ranka  of  standing  aenaton 
and  members,  and  alowlj  aacended  the  stepa  leading  to  the  speaker's  chair.  I  well 
remember,  standing  at  the  head  of  the  seBate,  the  tall,  square,  somewhat  gaunt  form 
of  Bfr.  Jefferson;  oonspicnons  from  his  scarlet  waistcoat^  bright  bine  coat»  with 
faoMd  bright  bnttona,  as  well  as  bj  his  quick  and  penetrating  air,  and  high-boned 
Scottish  cast  of  Ibatniea.  There,  too,  stood  General  Knox,  then  seoretaiy  of  war, 
in  all  the  sleek  rotnnditj  of  his  low  statore,  with  a  bold  and  florid  Ihce,  open,  firm, 
and  masljT  in  its  ezprassion.  But  I  recollect  that  my  boyish  eye  was  caught  by  the 
appearance  of  De  Tmjo,  the  Spanish  ambassador.  He  stood  in  the  rear  of  the  chair, 
a  little  on  one  side,  covered  with  a  splendid  diplomatic  dress,  decorated  with  orders, 
and  canying  under  his  arm  an  immense  cAapeoii^ras,  edged  with  white  ostrich  feath- 
ers. He  was  a  man,  totally  different  in  his  air  and  manner  from  all  aroond  him,  and 
the  very  antipode  especially  of  the  man  oa  whom  all  ^es  bnt  his  seemed  fixed  as  by 
a  spell.  I  saw  many  other  very  striking  fignrea  grouped  about  and  behind  the  speak* 
er's  chair,  bnt  I  did  not  know  their  names,  and  had  no  one  to  ask :  besides,  I  dared 
not  open  my  lips. 

*'  The  president,  having  seated  himself,  remained  in  silence,  serenely  c<»templating 
tiie  legtstoture  before  him,  whose  members  now  resumed  their  seats,  waiting  for  the 
speech.  No  house  of  worship,  in  the  most  solemn  pauses  of  devotion,  was  ever 
more  profoundly  stiil  than  that  laige  and  crowded  chamber. 

"Washington  was  dressed  precisely  as  Stuart  has  painted  him  in  Lord  Landsdowne's 
full-length  portrait— hi  a  full  suit  of  the  richest  black  velvet,  with  diamond  knee- 
buckles,  and  square  silver  buckles  set  upon  shoes  japanned  with  the  most  scrupulous 
neatness,  black  silk  stockhigs,  his  shirt  rufBed  at  the  breast  and  wrists,  a  light  dress 
sword,  his  hair  profusely  powdered,  fully  dressed,  so  as  to  project  at  the  sides,  and 
gathered  behind  in  a  silk  bag,  ornamented  with  a  large  rose  of  black  riband.  He 
hald  his  cocked  hat,  which  had  a  laige  black  cockade  on  one  side  of  it,  in  his  hand, 
as  he  advanced  toward  the  chair,  and,  when  seated,  laid  it  on  the  table. 

"  At  length,  thrusting  his  hand  within  the  side  of  his  coat,  he  drew  forth  a  roll  of 
manuscript,  which  he  opened,  and  rising,  held  it  in  his  hand,  while  in  a  rich,  deep, 
fkill,  sonorous  voice,  he  read  his  opening  address  to  Congress.  His  enunciation  was 
deliberate,  justly  emphasised,  very  distinct,  and  accompanied  with  an  air  of  deep  so- 
lamnity,  as  being  the  utterance  of  a  mind  profoundly  impressed  with  the  dignity  of 
the  act  in  whidi  it  was  occupied,  conscious  of  tho  whole  responsibility  of  its  position 
and  action,  bnt  not  oppressed  by  it.  There  was  ever  about  the  man  something  which 
impressed  the  obeerver  with  a  conviction  that  he  was  exactly  and  fhlly  equal  to  what 
he  had  to  do.  He  was  never  hurried ;  never  negligent;  but  seemed  ever  prepared 
for  the  occasion,  be  it  what  it  might.  If  I  could  express  his  character  in  one  word, 
it  would  be  appropriateness.  In  his  study,  in  his  parior,  at  a  levee,  before  Congress, 
at  the  head  of  the  army,  he  seemed  ever  to  be  just  what  the  situation  required  him 
to  be.  Hie  possessed,  in  a  degrea  never  equalled  by  any  human  being  I  ever  saw, 
the  strongest,  most  ever-present  sense  of  propriety.  It  never  forsook  him,  and  deeply 
and  involuntarily  impressed  itself  upon  eveiy  beholder. 
"  His  address  was  of  moderate  length :  the  topics  I  have  of  coutm  foigottea;  in* 


492  BECOIiLECnONS  OF  WAflBINGTON. 

i 
doed  I  was  not  of  an  age  to  appraeiata  them ;  bat  the  air,  the  manner,  the  toneay 
hare  never  left  my  mental  viaion,  and  even  now  seem  to  vibrate  on  mj  ear. 

"A  scene  like  this,  once  beheld,  though  in  earliest  youth,  is  never  to  be  forgotten. 
It  must  be  now  fifty  years  ago,  but  I  could  this  moment  sit  down  and  sketch  the 
chamber,  the  assembly,  and  the  man. 

"Having  closed  the  reading,  ho  laid  down  the  scroll,  and,  after  a  brief  pause,  re- 
tired as  he  had  entered :  when  the  manuscript  was  handed,  for  a  second  reading,  to 
Mr.  Beckley,  then  clerk  of  the  house,  whose  gentlemanly  manner,  dear  and  silver 
voice,  and  sharp  articulation  I  shall  ever  associate  with  the  scene.  When  shall  m 
again  behold  such  a  Congress  and  such  a  President?" 

To  make  the  picture  of  the  personal  appearance  of  Washington  more  complete,  I 
add  the  following  from  SulUvan'$  Familiar  Letttn:^' 

"  The  following  are  recollections  of  Washington,  derived  from  repeated  opportu- 
nities  of  seeing  him  during  the  last  three  years  of  his  public  life.  He  was  over  six 
feet  in  stature ;  of  strong,  bony,  muscular  frame,  without  fulness  of  covering,  well 
formed  and  straight.  He  was  a  man  of  most  extraordinary  physical  strength.  In 
his  own  house  his  action  was  calm,  deliberate,  and  dignified,  without  pretension  to 
gracefulness,  or  peculiar  manner,  but  merely  natural,  and  such  as  one  would  think 
it  should  be  in  such  a  man.  His  habitual  motions  had  been  formed  before  he  lock 
command  of  the  American  armies,  in  the  wars  of  the  interior,  and  in  the  surveying 
of  wilderness  lands,  employments  in  which  grace  and  elegance  were  not  likely  to  be 
acquired.  At  the  age  of  sixty-five,  time  had  done  nothing  toward  bending  htm  out 
of  his  natural  erectness.  His  deportment  was  invariably  grave ;  it  was  sobriety  that 
stopped  short  of  sadness.  His  presence  inspired  a  veneration  and  a  feeling  of  awe 
rarely  experienced  in  the  presence  of  any  man.  His  mode  of  speaking  was  slow 
and  deliberate,  not  as  though  he  was  in  search  of  fine  words,  but  that  he  might  utter 
those  only  adapted  to  his  purpose.  It  was  the  usage  of  all  persons  in  good  society 
to  attend  Mrs.  Washington's  levee  eveiy  Friday  evening.  He  was  always  present. 
The  young  ladies  used  to  throng  around  him,  and  engage  him  in  conversation. 
There  were  some  of  the  well-remembered  belki  of  that  day  who  imagined  themselves 
to  be  favorites  with  him.  As  these  were  the  only  opportunities  which  they  had  of 
conversing  with  him,  they  were  disposed  to  use  them.  One  would  think  that  a  gen- 
tleman and  a  gallant  soldier,  if  he  could  ever  laugh  or  dress  his  countenance  in  smiles* 
would  do  so  when  surrounded  by  young  and  admiring  lieauties.  But  this  was  never 
so ;  the  countenance  of  Washington  never  softened ;  nor  changed  its  habitual  gravi^. 
One  who  had  lived  always  in  his  family  said,  that  his  manner  in  public  life  was  al> 
ways  the  same.  Being  asked  whether  Washington  could  laugh,  this  person  said  this 
was  a  rare  occurrence,  but  one  instance  was  remembered  when  he  laughed  moat 
heartily  at  her  narration  of  an  incident  in  which  she  was  a  party  concerned ;  and  in 
which  he  applauded  her  agency.  The  late  General  Cobb,  who  was  long  a  member 
of  his  family  during  the  war,  and  who  enjoyed  a  laugh  as  much  as  any  man  could, 
said  that  he  never  saw  Washington  laugh,  excepting  when  Colonel  Scammel  (if  this 
was  the  person)  came  to  dine  at  headquarters.  Scammel  had  a  fund  of  ludicrous 
anecdotes,  and  a  manner  of  telling  them,  which  relaxed  even  the  gravity  of  the  < 
maader-iii-chief. 


¥EB0bTSfAL  AFPBARANGE  OF  WASHINGTON.  498 

"  Genera)  Cobb  also  said  that  the  fonns  of  proceeding  at  hcadqaarters  were  exact 
and  precise ;  orderljr  and  panctual.  At  the  appointed  moment,  Washington  appeared 
at  the  breakfast-table.  He  expected  to  find  all  the  members  of  his  family  (Cobb, 
Hamilton,  Humphreys  were  among  them)  awaiting  him.  He  came  dressed  for  the 
day,  and  brought  with  him  the  letters  and  despatches  of  the  preceding  day,  and  a  short 
memoranda  of  the  answers  to  be  made;  also  the  substance  of  orders  to  be  issued 
When  breakfast  was  oxer,  these  papers  were  distributed  among  his  aids,  to  be  pu 
into  form.  Soon  afterward  he  mounted  his  horse  to  visit  the  troops,  and  expected  to 
find  on  his  return  before  noon,  all  the  papers  prepared  for  his  inspection  and  signature. 
There  was  no  familiarity  in  his  presence ;  it  was  all  sobriety  and  business.  His  mode 
of  life  was  abstemious  and  temperate.  He  had  a  decided  preference  for  certain  sorts 
of  food,  probably  from  early  associations.  Throughout  the  war,  as  it  was  understood 
in  his  military  family,  he  gave  a  part  of  erery  day  to  private  prayer  and  devotion. 

"  While  he  lived  in  Philadelphia,  as  president,  he  rose  at  four  in  the  morning;  and 
the  general  rule  of  his  house  was,  that  the  fires  should  be  covered,  and  the  lights  ex- 
tinguished at  a  certain  hour;  whether  this  was  nme  or  ten  is  not  recollected. 

"  In  the  early  part  of  his  administration,  great  complaints  were  made  by  the  op- 
position of  the  aristocratic  and  royal  demeanor  of  the  president  Mr.  Jefferson  makes 
some  commentaries  on  this  subject,  which  do  no  credit  to  his  heart  or  his  head. 
These  are  too  liuU  to  be  transcribed  from  the  works  of  this  *grmU  and  good  man.' 
Dr.  Stuart,  of  Virginia,  wrote  to  him  of  the  dissatisfaction  which  prevailed  on  this 
subject  in  Virginia.  In  the  fifth  volume  of  Blarshall,  page  164,  will  be  found  an  ex- 
tract of  Washington's  vindication  of  his  conduct,  and  a  most  satisfactory  one,  which 
shows  the  proper  character  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  'Anas.'  These  complaints  related, 
in  particular,  to  the  manner  of  receiving  such  vl^iiters  as  came  from  respect  or  from 
curiosity,  of  which  there  were  multitudes.  The  purpose  of  Washington  was,  that 
such  visiters  should  accomplish  their  objects  without  a  sacrifice  of  time,  which  he 
considered  indispensable  to  the  performance  of  his  public  duties. 

"  He  devoted  one  hour  every  other  Tuesday,  from  three  to  four,  to  these  visits.  He 
understood  himself  to  be  visited  as  the  president  of  the  United  States,  and  not  on  his 
own  account.  He  was  then  to  be  seen  by  anybody  and  everybody ;  but  required  that 
e^'ery  one  who  came  should  be  introduced  by  his  secretary,  or  by  some  gentleman 
whom  he  knew  himself.  He  lived  on  the  south  side  of  Chestnut  street,  just  below 
Sixth.  The  place  of  reception  was  the  dining-room  in  the  rear,  twenty-five  or  thirty 
feet  in  length,  including  the  bow  projecting  into  the  garden.  Mrs.  Washington  re- 
ceived visiters  in  the  two  rooms  on  the  second  fioor,  from  front  to  rear. 

"  At  three  o'clock,  or  at  any  time  within  a  quarter  of  an  hour  afterward,  the  visiter 
was  conducted  to  this  dining-room,  from  which  all  seats  had  been  removed  for  the 
time.  On  entering,  he  saw  the  tall  figure  of  Washington  clad  in  black  velvet ;  his 
hair  in  full  dress,  powdered  and  gathered  behind  in  a  large  silk  bag;  yellow  gloves 
on  his  hands ;  holding  a  cocked  hat,  with  a  cockade  in  it,  and  the  edges  adorned  with 
a  black  feather  about  an  inch  deep.  He  wore  knee  and  shoe  buckles ;  and  a  long 
sword,  with  a  finely-wrought  and  polished  steel  hilt,  which  appeared  at  the  left  hip ; 
the  coat  worn  over  the  blade,  and  appearing  from  nnder  the  folds  behind.  The  scab- 
bard was  white  polished  leather. 


494  BEOOLLBcnoNs  OF  wAssasmcuM 

"  His  stood  always  m  front  of  the  firsplaoe,  with  his  Awe  toward  the  door'of  en- 
trance. The  Tisiter  was  eondaeted  to  him,  and  he  rsqnhnsd  to  have  the  n*me  so  dis- 
tinctlj  pronounced  that  he  could  hear  h.  He  had  the  very  nncommon  ftcolty  of 
associating  a  man's  name,  and  personal  appearance,  so  dnrably  in  his  memory  as  to 
he  ahle  to  call  any  one  hy  name  who  made  him  a  second  visit  He  received  his 
Tistter  with  a  digoided  bow,  while  his  hands  wers  so  disposed  as  to  indicate  that  the 
salutation  was  not  to  he  accompanied  with  shaldttg  iiands.  This  ceremony  never  oc- 
curred in  these  visits,  even  with  the  most  near  friends,  that  no  distinctions  might  be 


"  As  visitan  came  in,  they  formed  a  circle  around  the  room.  At  a  quarter  past 
tliree  the  door  was  closed,  and  the  cirde  was  formed  for  that  day.  He  then  began 
on  the  right,  and  spoke  to  each  visiter,  calling  him  by  name,  and  exchanging  a  few 
words  with  turn.  When  he  liad  completed  liis  dreuit,  he  rssnmed  liis  first  position, 
and  the  visiters  approached  him  in  snooession,  bowed,  and  retired.  By  four  o'dodc 
this  ceremony  was  over. 

"  On  the  evenings  when  Mrs.  Washington  received  visiters,  he  did  not  consider 
himm^  as  visited.  He  was  then  as  a  private  gentleman,  dressed  usually  in  some 
colored  coat  (the  only  one  recollected  was  brown,  with  bright  buttons),  and  black  on 
his  lower  limbs.  He  had  then  neither  hat  nor  sword ;  he  moved  aboat  among  the 
company,  conversing  with  one  and  another.  His  had  once  a  fortnight  an  official  din- 
ner, and  select  companies  on  other  days.  He  sat,  it  is  said,  at  the  side,  in  a  central 
position ;  Mrs.  Washington  opposite ;  the  two  ends  were  occupied  by  members  of 
his  fiunily,  or  by  his  penonal  friends." 


'~>^.  ^Apt.o'^/?^ 


T;  "t'  •  •  n      \' 


t\\"\.\  *    V  ' 


'}    .ill-    ( 


IM 


amiability  of  demeanor,  caused  her  to  be  distinguishe 

*  This  WM  fint  written  for,  ud  pablished  in,  the  ilmcrioafi  PortraA  QcMery, 


Z-^.      l^fd/^^/l^^-Ai' 


liABTEA  WA0HINGTOK.  496 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

MAETHA  WASmNGTON."^ 

Mm.  WA8Har«Tox%  Lixxaob— Hnt  Bablt  Lm— Hxb  Mabbia«s  to  Damibl  Fabki  Ova- 
tu—Hb  Fatbbb^  AmrnoDS  YnwB~DsATR  of  Mb.  Custis  —  Aiixodots— A  Moxst- 

USTBSB  nr  WART  OF  A  CVROXXB  ~  FlBST  IhTBBTIBW  BSTWBXir  Washikotoh  axtd  Hbb. 
CmsB— YzBaiiOA.  Hospxtautt— Wibhihotoh  xk  Lots— Tbx  Mabbiaob  of  Washing- 

TOV  AHD  MbS.  ClTBTIS  — DaTB  OF  THB  HaBBXAOB  —  MBS.  WABHIVOTOH  IN  GaVP  — HBB  Es- 
OOXT  — I>KATH  OF  HBB  SON  — ThB  HOMB  AT  MOITNT  YbBHON— WASRXNOTON  HASB  PbBBX- 
X>BKT  OF  THB  XJnITBD  StaTBS  —  MB8.WABBINeTON  AT  THB  HbAD  OF  THB  PbIBXDXNTIAL  MAN- 
■lOV— FaXILT  HaBIIB  IHBBB— SOBNBB  ON  THB  NATIONAL  AnNXTBBSABUS  —  AtTXNBANCB 

VFOH  DiriNB  Sbbtxob— Old  Soldibbs  at  thb  PBBszDXNt^  HousB—BBnBBXxNT  TO  Mount 
Tbbnon — VnxrBBS  thxbb — Mbi.  Wabhxnoton's  Dohbstxo  Habits — Washinoton^  Dbaih 
•^  DnFosmoN  OF  hxb  Bbxaxnb — Mount  Ybbnon  aftbb  hb  Dbath — Sioknxbb  and  Dxatb 
OF  Mbb.  Washzkovon. 

Martha  Dandridge  was  descended  from  an  ancient 
family^  which  first  migrated  to  the  colony  of  Virginia,  in 
the  person  of  the  Reverend  Orlando  Jones,  a  clerg3nnan 
of  Wales.  She  was  bom  in  the  county  of  New  Kent, 
colony  of  Virginia,  in  May,  1732.  The  education  of 
females  in  the  early  days  of  the  colonial  settlements,  was 
almost  exdtisively  of  a  domestic  character,  and  by  in- 
structors who  were  entertained  in  the  principal  families, 
that  were  too  few  and  too  ^  far  between"  to  admit  of  the 
establishment  of  public  schools. 

Of  the  early  life  of  Miss  Dandridge,  we  are  only  able 
to  record,  that  the  young  lady  excelled  in  personal 
charms,  which,  with  pleasing  manners,  and  a  general 
amiability  of  demeanor,  caused  her  to  be  distinguished 

*  Thif  WM  first  written  for,  and  pablished  in,  the  American  PortraU  QcMenf, 


496  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINGTON. 

amid  the  fair  ones  who  usually  assembled  at  the  court 
of  Williamsburg,  then  held  by  the  royal  governors  of 
Virginia. 

At  seventeen  years  of  age  (in  1749),  Miss  Dandridge 
was  married  to  Colonel  Daniel  Parke  Custis,  of  the  White 
House,  county  of  New  Kent  This  was  a  match  of  affec- 
tion. The  father  of  the  bridegroom,  the  Honorable  John 
Custis,  of  Arlington,  a  king's  counsellor,  had  matrimonial 
views  of  a  more  ambitious  character  for  his  only  son  and 
heir,  and  was  desirous  of  a  connection  with  the  Byrd 
family,  of  Westover,  Colonel  Byrd  being,  at  that  time, 
from  his  influence  and  vast  possessions,  almost  a  count 
palatine  of  Virginia.* 

The  counsellor  having  at  length  given  his  consent  to 
the  marriage  of  his  son  with  Miss  Dandridge,  they  were 
iparried.  They  settled  at  the  White  House,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Paumunkey  river,  where  Colonel  Custis  became 
an  eminently  successful  planter.  The  fruits  of  this  mar- 
riage were,  a  girl,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Daniel,  Mai^ 
tha,  and  John.  Daniel  was  a  child  of  much  promise,  and 
it  was  generally  believed,  that  his  untimely  death  hasten- 
ed his  father  to  the  grave.  Martha  arrived  at  w(^anr 
hood,  and  died  at  Mount  Vernon,  in  1773  ;f  and  John, 
the  father  of  the  biographer,  perished  while  in  the 
service  of  his  country,  and  the  suite  of  the  commander- 

*  See  page  18. 

t  See  page  21.  We  hare  observed  that  this  daaghter  was  rtry  delicate  in  health, 
from  early  childhood.  EVerjthing  that  affection  and  ample  means  conld  afiRord  for 
the  preservation  of  her  health,  were  employed.  Among  Washington's  accounts  of 
expenditures  in  her  behalf,  is  one  on  a  single  half-sheet  of  foolscap,  which  shows  how 
carefally  he  made  his  memoranda.  We  give  a  facsimile  of  it.  It  will  be  seen 
that  Washington  took  none  of  the  responsibility  of  incnrring  the  expense  of  a  jonr- 
ney  to  the  medicinal  springs  and  back.  He  notes  in  the  preface  to  the  account, 
that  the  journey  was  undertaken  by  the  advice  of  the  physician. 


/ 


^ 


V 

V 


^ 


1       ^M 


^    \  ^    K'^   ^    ^ 


til 


'-■^  OF  THE         '^^ 


MABTHA  WASHINGTON.  497 

iiirchie^  at  the  siege  of  Torktown,  1781,  aged  twenty- 
seven. 

On  the  decease  of  her  husband,  which  happened  at 
about  middle  age,  Mrs.  Custis  found  herself  at  once  a 
very  young,  and  among  the  very  wealthiest  widows  in 
the  colony.  Independently  of  extensive  and  valuable 
landed  estates,  the  colonel  left  thirty  thousand  pounds 
sterling  in  money,  with  half  that  amount  to  his  only 
daughter,  Martha.  It  is  related  of  this  amiable  gentle- 
man, that,  when  on  his  death-bed,  he  sent  for  a  tenant,  to 
whom,  in  settling  an  account,  he  was  due  one  shilling. 
The  tenant  begged  that  the  colonel,  who  had  ever  been 
most  kind  to  his  tenantry,  would  not  trouble  himself  at 
all  about  such  a  trifle,  as  he,  the  tenant,  had  forgotten  it 
loijg  ago.  "  But  I  have  not,"  rejoined  the  just  and  con- 
scientious landlord,  and  bidding  his  creditor  take  up  the 
coin,  which  had  been  purposely  placed  on  his  pillow,  ex- 
claimed, "Now,  my  accoimts  are  all  closed  with  this 
world,"  and  shortly  after  expired.  Mrs.  Custis,  as  sole 
executrix,  managed  the  extensive  landed  and  pecuniary 
concerns  of  the  estates  with  surprising  ability,  making 
loans,  on  mortgage,  of  moneys,  and,  through  her  stew- 
ards and  agents,  conducting  the  sales  or  exportation  of 
the  crops,  to  the  best  possible  advantage.* 

*  On  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Castis  employed  her  yonng  friend,  of  James 

Ci^,  Bobert  Carter  KicholsB,  as  legal  adviser  in  the  settlement  of  the  estate.    Mr. 

Nicholas  was  then  just  rising  in  his  profession,  and  soon  became  one  of  the  brightest 

lawyers  in  a  galaxy,  such  as  Vii^nia  has  never  since  possessed.    Afterward,  as  a 

legislator  and  true  patriot,  he  took  a  foremost  part  in  the  concerns  of  his  native 

commonwealth,  and  was  particularly  conspicnons  in  the  Virginia  convention  of 

1775.    The  following  letters,  from  Mr.  Nicholas  and  Mr.  Waller,  relate  to  the  bosi- 

ness  of  Mrs.  Castis's  estate : — 

"  WiLLiAHSBuna,  7th  Angnst,  1757. 

"  Madam  :  It  gave  me  no  small  pleasure  to  hear  with  how  great  Christian  pa- 
tience and  resignation  yon  submitted  to  your  late  misfortune ;  the  example  is  rare, 

32 


498  REC0IXKCTI0N8   OF  WA8HIN0T0N. 

While  on  the  subject  of  the  moneyed  concerns  of  sev- 
enty years  ago,  we  hope  to  be  pardoned  for  a  brief  di- 
gression. The  orchard  of  fine  apple-trees  is  yet  standing 
near  Bladensburg,  that  was  presented  to  Mr.  Ross,  by 

though  a  duty  incumbent  upon  us  all ;  and  therefore  I  can  not  help  esteeming  it  a 
peculiar  happiness  whenever  I  meet  with  it.  My  late  worthy  friend,  firom  a  very 
short  acquaintance  with  him,  had  gained  a  great  share  of  my  esteem,  which  woald 
have  naturally  continued  towards  his  family,  had  I  been  an  utter  stranger  to  them. 
How  greatly  this  is  increased  by  the  pleasure  of  even  a  slight  acquaintance  with  yon, 
I  shall  leave  it  to  time  to  evince,  as  it  might  savor  of  flattery,  were  I  to  attempt  the 
expression  of  it.  When  your  brother  was  with  me,  I  was  indisposed,  and  therefore 
could  not  conveniently  comply  with  your  request,  in  writing  my  opinion  upon  the 
several  matten  he  proposed.  As  it  will  be  absolutely  necessary  that  some  person 
should  administer  upon  the  estate,  and  no  one  appears  so  proper  as  yourself,  I 
would  recommend  it  to  you,  and  that  so  soon  as  it  may  be  done  with  convenience. 
I  dare  say  your  friends  will  endeavor  to  ease  you  of  as  much  trouble  as  they  can ; 
and  since  yon  seem  to  place  some  confidence  in  me,  I  do  sincerely  profess  myself  to 
be  of  that  number.  I  imagine  yon  will  find  it  necessary  to  employ  a  trusty  steward ; 
and  as  the  estate  is  large  and  very  extensive,  it  is  Mr.  Waller's  and  my  own  opinion, 
that  yon  had  better  not  engage  with  any  but  a  very  able  man,  though  he  should  re- 
quire laige  wages.  Nothing  appears  to  us  very  material  to  be  done  immediately, 
except  what  relates  to  your  tobacco ;  if  is  not  already  done,  it  will  be  necessary  that 
letters  sfionld  be  wrote  for  insurance,  and  that  we,  or  some  other  of  your  friends, 
should  be  acquainted  with  the  quantities  of  tobacco  pnt  on  board  each  ship,  that  m 
may  get  the  proper  bills  of  lading.  If  you  desire  it,  we  will  cheerfully  go  up  to 
assist  in  sorting  your  papers,  forming  invoices,  etc.,  and  in  any  other  instance  that 
you  think  I  can  serve  yon,  I  beg  that  you  will  freely  and  without  any  reserve  com- 
mand me.  I  congratulate  you  upon  your  little  boy's  late  recovery,  and  am,  madam, 
"  Tour  hearty  well-wisher  and  obedient  humble  servant* 

'BoBBBT  C.  Nicholas." 

Three  weeks  later,  Mr.  Waller,  mentioned  by  Mr.  Nicholas,  wrote  to  Mrs.  Custii 
as  follows : — 

*'  MiLDAic .  I  am  at  a  loss  in  drawing  your  power  of  attorney  for  receiving  the 
interest  or  dividends  of  your  bank  stock.  I  luid  formerly  a  printed  form  which  I 
am  pretty  sure  I  gave  to  Mr.  Power,  to  draw  one  by  for  the  late  colonel.  Mr. 
Lyons  says  he  remembers  it,  and  that  he  believes  Mr.  Power  gave  it  to  the 
colonel ;  and  so  amongst  ns  it  is  lost.  I  send  yon  a  general  power  of  attorney, 
which  yon  may  execute  before  some  persons  going  to  Great  Britain,  and  send  it  by 
this  fleet ;  it  may  possibly  be  of  service  till  they  send  yon  a  letter.  It  will  be  prop- 
er for  you  to  get  letters  of  administration  from  your  clerk,  to  send  them  here  Ibr 
the  governor's  name,  and  seal  of  the  colony  (all  of  which  yon  may  have  for  the  fees 
already  charged  you),  and  to  send  them  with  the  power  to  Messrs.  Carey  and  Co.; 
and  desire  them  to  send  you,  in  proper  forms  and  directions,  what  to  do  concerning  the 


MABTHA  WASmNOTON.  499 

the  father  of  the  late  venerated  Charles  Carroll^  of 
Carrollton^  as  a  recompense  for  Mr.  Ross  having  intro- 
duced to  Mr.  Carroll  a  good  borrower  of  his  money.  A 
Colonel  T.,  one  of  the  ancient  dons  of  Maryland,  being 
observed  riding  over  the  race-course  of  Annapolis  in  a 
very  disturbed  and  anxious  manner,  was  accosted  by  his 
friends  with  a  ^  What 's  the  matter,  colonel  ?  Are  you 
alarmed  for  the  success  of  your  filly,  about  to  start?' 
"Oh,  no,"  replied  T.,  "but  I  have  a  thousand  poimds  by 
me  to  loan,  and  here  have  I  been  riding  about  the  course 
the  whole  morning,  and  not  a  single  borrower  can  I  get 
for  my  money."  We  opine  that  the  same  anxieties  would 
not  be  long  suffered  now. 

It  was  in  1758,  that  an  officer,  attired  in  a  military 
undress,  and  attended  by  a  body-servant,  tall  and  nUU' 
Udre  as  his  chief,  crossed  the  ferry  called  Williams's,  over 
the  Pamunkey,  a  branch  of  the  York  river.  On  the  boat 
touching  the  southern  or  New  Kent  side,  the  soldier's 
progress  was  arrested  by  one  of  those  personages,  who 
give  the  beau  ideal  of  the  Virginia  gentleman  of  the  old 
reffimey  the  very  soul  of  kindliness  and  hospitality.  It 
was  in  vain  the  soldier  inrged  his  business  at  Williams- 
burg, important  communications  to  the  governor,  etc. 
Mr.  Chamberlayne,  on  whose  domain  the  mBaire  had 
just  landed,  would  hear  of  no  excuse.  Colonel  Washing- 
ton (for  the  soldier  was  he)  was  a  name  and  character  so 

bank  stock  another  year.  I  return  the  letten  relating  to  Danbar's  appeal,  which 
wrj  probably  received  a  determination  before  the  colonel's  death.  I  know  not 
what  farther  you  can  do  than  advise  Mr.  Gary  and  Mr.  Hanbary  of  the  time  he  died, 
to  desire  them  to  continue  their  case  in  that  affair,  and  to  instruct  you  what  your 
solicitor  thinks  needful  fur  you  to  do.  In  all  these  cases  they  will  preserve  their 
omfi  forms  and  methods.    My  wife  tenders  you  her  best  respects,  and  I  am,  madam, 

"  Your  most  obedient  servant, 
"  WiixiAXSBUBO,  August  30th,  1757."  "  Bbw.  Wallbb." 


500  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WASHINQTON. 

dear  to  all  the  Yirginians,  that  his  passing  by  one  of  the 
old  castles  of  the  commonwealth^  without  calling  and 
partaking  of  the  hospitalities  of  the  host^  was  entirely 
out  of  the  question.  The  colonel,  however,  did  not  sur- 
render at  discretion,  but  stoutly  maintained  his  ground, 
till  Chamberlayne  bringing  up  his  reserve,  in  the  intimsr 
tion  than  he  would  introduce  his  friend  to  a  young  and 
charming  widow,  then  beneath  his  roof,  the  soldier  capit- 
ulated, on  condition  that  he  should  dine,  ^  only  dine,** 
and  then,  by  pressing  his  charger  and  borrowing  of  the 
night,  he  would  reach  Williamsburg  before  his  excel- 
lency could  shake  off  his  morning  slumbers.  Orders 
were  accordingly  issued  to  Bishop,  the  colonel's  body- 
servant  and  faithful  follower,  who,  together  with  the  fine 
English  charger,  had  been  bequeathed  by  the  dying 
Braddock  to  Major  Washington,  on  the  famed  and  fatal 
field  of  the  Monongahela.  Bishop,  bred  in  the  school  of 
European  discipline,  raised  his  hand  to  his  cap,  as  much 
as  to  say,  "your  honor's  orders  shall  be  obeyed." 

The  colonel  now  proceeded  to  the  mansion,  and  was 
introduced  to  various  guests  (for  when  was  a  Virginian 
domicil  of  the  olden  time  without  guests  ?),  and  above 
all,  to  the  charming  widow.  Tradition  relates  that  they 
were  mutually  pleased  on  this  their  first  interview,  nor 
is  it  remarkable ;  they  were  of  an  age  when  impressions 
are  strongest  The  lady  was  fair  to  behold,  of  fascinating 
\i  manners,  and  splendidly  endowed  with  worldly  benefits. 
The  hero,  fresh  from  his  early  fields,  redolent  of  fame, 
and  with  a  form  on  which  "  every  god  did  seem  to  set 
his  seal,  to  give  the  world  assurance  of  a  man." 

The  morning  passed  pleasantly  away.  Evening  came, 
with  Bishop,  true  to  his  orders  and  firm  at  his  post^  held- 


MAETHA  WASHmOTON.  501 

ing  his  favorite  charger  with  one  hand,  while  the  other 
was  waiting  to  offer  the  ready  stirrup.  The  sun  sank  in 
the  horizon,  and  yet  the  colonel  appeared  not  And  then 
the  old  soldier  marvelled  at  his  chiefs  delay.  "'Twas 
strange,  'twaa  passing  strange" — surely  he  was  not  wont 
to  he  a  single  moment  behind  his  appointments,  for  he 
was  the  most  punctual  of  all  men.  Meantime,  the  host 
enjoyed  the  scene  of  the  veteran  on  duty  at  the  gate, 
while  the  colonel  was  so  agreeably  employed  in  the  par- 
lor ;  and  proclaiming  that  no  guest  ever  left  his  house 
after  sunset,  his  military  visiter  was,  without  much  diffi- 
culty, persuaded  to  order  Bishop  to  put  up  the  horses  for  A 
the  night  The  sun  rode  high  in  the  heavens  the  en- 
suing day,  when  the  enamored  soldier  pressed  with  his 
spur  his  charger's  side,  and  speeded  on  his  way  to  the 
seat  of  government,  where,  having  despatched  his  public 
business,  he  retraced  his  steps,  and,  at  the  White  House, 
the  engagement  took  place,  with  preparations  for  the 
marriage. 

And  much  haHi  the  biographer  heard  of  that  marriage, 
from  gray-haired  domestics,  who  waited  at  the  board 
where  love  made  the  feast  and  Washington  was  the 
guest.  And  rare  and  high  was  the  revelry,  at  that 
palmy  period  of  Virginia's  festal  age ;  for  many  were 
gathered  to  that  marriage,  of  the  good,  the  great^  the 
gifted,  and  the  gay,  while  Virginia,  with  joyous  accla- 
mation hailed  in  her  youthful  hero  a  prosperous  and 
happy  bridegroom. 

^And  so  you  remember  when  Colonel  Washington 
came  a  courting  of  your  mistress  ?"  said  the  biographer 
to  old  Cully,  in  his  hundredth  year.  ^  Ay,  master,  that 
I  do,"  replied  this  ancient  family  servant^  who  had  lived 


602         RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

to  see  five  generations ;  ^  great  times^  sir,  great  times ! 
Shall  never  see  the  like  again  T — ^^And  Washingt<ni 
looked  something  like  a  man,  a  proper  man ;  hey, 
Cully r — ^" Never  see'd  the  like,  sir;  never  the  likes 
of  him,  iho'  I  have  seen  many  in  my  day ;  so  tall,  so 
straight!  and  then  he  sat  a  horse  and  rode  with  sudi 
\y  an  air!  Ah,  sir;  he  was  like  no  one  else!  Many  of 
the  grandest  gentlemen,  in  their  gold  lace,  were  at  the 
wedding,  but  none  looked  like  the  man  himself  H' 
Strong,  indeed,  must  have  been  the  impressions  which 
the  person  and  manner  of  Washington  made  upon  the 
rude,  "imtutored  mind"  of  this  poor  negro,  since  the 
lapse  of  three  quarters  of  a  century  had  not  su£Giced 
to  efface  them. 

The  precise  date  of  the  marriage  the  biographer  has 
been  unable  to  discover,  having  in  vain  searched  among 
the  records  of  the  vestry  of  St  Peter's  church.  New 
Kent,  of  which  the  Reverend  Mr.  Mossom,  a  Cambridge 
scholar,  was  the  rector,  and  performed  the  ceremony,  it 
is  believed,  about  1759.*    A  short  time  after  their  mar- 

*  Mr.  Sparks,  whose  sources  of  information  have  been  more  ample  than  all 
others,  says  the  marriage  took  place  on  the  nxth  of  January,  1759.  Mrs.  Bache, 
daughter  of  I>octor  Franklin,  in  a  letter  to  her  father,  written  in  January,  1779, 
says,  "  I  have  lately  been  seyeral  times  invited  abroad  with  the  general  and  Mrs. 
Washington.  He  always  inquires  after  you,  in  the  most  affectionate  manner,  and 
speaks  of  you  highly.  We  danced  at  Mrs.  Powell's  on  your  birthday,  or  night,  I 
should  say,  in  company  together,  and  he  told  me  it  was  the  anniversary  of  his  ma^ 
riage ;  it  was  just  twenty  years  that  night." 

Franklin's  birthday  was  the  seventeenth  of  January.  The  apparent  discrepancy 
in  the  statements  of  Mrs.  Bache  and  Mr.  Sparks,  is  easily  reooncilable,  by  suppo- 
sing the  date  given  by  the  latter  to  be  Old  Style.  There  being  eleven  days  diffe^ 
ence  between  the  two  styles,  so  called,  the  sixth,  Old  Style,  would  be  tiie  seventeenth. 
New  Style. 

Reverend  David  Mossom  was  rector  of  New  Kent  parish  for  forty  years.  Bishop 
Meade,  in  illustration  of  the  condition  of  church  matters  in  that  parish,  during  the 
earlier  years  of  Mr.  Mossom's  rectorship,  says  that,  on  one  occasion,  the  rector  and 


MABTHA  WASHINGTON.  503 

xiage^  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Washington  removed  to  Mount 
Vernon,  on  the  Potomac,  and  permanently  settled  there. 

The  mansion  of  Mount  Vernon,  more  than  seventy 
yeats  ago,  was  a  very  small  building,  compared  with  its 
present  extent,  and  the  numerous  out-buildings  attached 
to  it  The .  mansion-house  consisted  of  four  rooms  on  a 
floor,  forming  the  centre  of  the  present  building,  and 
remained  pretty  much  in  that  state  up  to  1774,  when 
Colonel  Washington  repaired  to  the  first  Congress,  in 
Philadelphia,  and  from  thence  to  the  command-in-chief 
of  the  armies  of  his  country,  assembled  before  Cam- 
bridge, July,  1775.  The  conmiander^in-chief  returned 
no  more  to  reside  at  Mount  Vernon  till  after  the  peace 
of  1783.  Mrs,,  or  Lady  Washington,  as  we  shall  now 
call  her  (such  being  the  appellation  she  always  bore  in 
the  army),  accompanied  the  general  to  the  lines  before 
Boston,  and  witnessed  its  siege  and  evacuation.  She 
then  returned  to  Virginia^  the  subsequent  campaigns 
being  of  too  momentous  a  character  to  allow  of  her 
accompanying  the  army.* 

At    the    close    of   each    campaign,  an    aid-de-camp 

his  clerk  had  a  qaarrel,  and  the  fonner  assailed  the  latter  in  a  sermon.    In  those 

dajs,  it  was  the  daty  of  the  clerk  to  "give  ont"  the  psalm.    On  the  occasion  in 

question  the  clerk,  after  receiving  the  pnlptt  assanlt  from  Mr.  Mossom,  read,  in 

revenge,  the  psalm,  in  which  occurs  the  following  verse : — 

**  With  restless  and  nngovemed  rage. 

Why  do  the  heathen  storm  1 

Why  in  such  rash  attempts  engage. 

As  they  can  ne'er  perform  V* 

Mr.  Mossom  was  married  four  times.  His  last  nuptials  were  celebrated  in  Jan- 
vary,  1755,  in  his  own  church.    His  bride  was  Elizabeth  Masters,  a  widow. 

*  Mrs.  Washington  did  not  return  to  Viiginia  until  the  close  of  August,  1776. 
A  letter,  written  by  her  to  her  sister,  Mrs.  Bassett,  of  Eltham,  and  dated  at  Phila- 
delphia, on  the  twentieth  of  that  month,  is  published  in  the  Hittorieal  Magazine, 
volume  ii.,  page  135 ;  1858. 


504  BECOLLECnONS   OF  WABHIKOTON. 

repaired  to  Mount  Vernon,  to  escort  the  lady  to  head- 
quarters. ThQ  arrival  of  Lady  Washington  at  camp  . 
was  an  event  much  anticipated,  and  was  always  the*' 
signal  for  the  ladies  of  the  general  officers  to  repair  to 
the  hosoms  of  their  lords.  The  arrival  of  the  aid-de- 
camp, escorting  the  plain  chariot,  with  the  neat  postil- 
lions, in  their  scarlet  and  white  liveries,  was  deemed  an 
epoch  in  the  army,  and  served  to  diffuse  a  cheering 
influence  amid  the  gloom  which  hung  over  our  destinies 
at  Valley  Forge,  Morristown,  and  West  Point  Lady 
Washington  always  remained  at  the  headquarters  till 
the  opening  of  the  campaign ;  and  she  oflen  remarked,  in 
after  life,  that  it  had  been  her  fortune  to  hear  the  first 
cannon  at  the  opening,  and  the  last  at  the  closing,  of  all 
the  campaigns  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 

During  the  whole  of  that  mighty  period,  when  we 
struggled  for  independence.  Lady  Washington  pre- 
served her  equanimity,  together  with  a  degree  of  cheer- 
fulness that  inspired  all  around  her  with  the  brightest 
hopes  for  our  ultimate  success.  To  her,  alone,  a  heavy 
cloud  of  sorrow  hung  over  the  conclusion  of  the  glorious 
campaign  of  1781.  Her  only  child,*  while  attending  to 
his  duties,  as  aid-de-camp  to  the  general-in-chief,  during 
the  siege  of  Torktown,  was  seized  with  an  attack  of  the 
camp-fever,  then  raging  to  a  frightful  extent  within  the 
enemy's  intrenchments.  Ardently  attached  to  the  cause 
of  his  country,  having  witnessed  many  of  the  most 
important  events  of  the  Revolutionary  contest,  from  the 
siege  of  Boston,  in  1775-6,  to  the  virtual  termination  of 
the  war,  in  1781,  the  sufferer  beheld  the  surrender  of 
the  British  army,  on  the  memorable  nineteenth  of  Octo- 

*  John  Parke  Costis. 


MAETHA  WASmNOTON.  606 

ber,  and  waa  thence  removed  to  Eltham^  in  New  Kent> 
where  he  was  attended  by  Doctor  Craik,  chief  of  the 
medical  Btaff 

Washington,  learning  the  extreme  danger  of  his  step- 
son, to  whom  he  was  greatly  attached,  privately  left  the 
camp  before  Yorktown,  while  yet  it  rang  with  the 
shouts  of  victory,  and,  attended  by  a  single  ofl&cer,  rode 
with  all  speed  to  Eltham.  It  was  just  day-dawn  when 
the  commander-in-chief  sprang  from  his  panting  charger, 
and,  summoning  Doctor  Craik  to  his  presence,  inquired 
if  there  was  any  hope.  Craik  shook  his  head,  when  the 
chief,  being  shown  into  a  private  room,  threw  himself 
upon  a  bed,  absorbed  in  grief  The  poor  sufferer,  being 
in  his  last  agonies,  soon  after  expired.  The  general  re- 
mained for  some  time  closeted  with  his  lady,  then  re- 
moimted  and  returned  to  the  camp. 

It  was  after  the  peace  of  1783,  that  General  Washing- 
ton set  in  earnest  about  the  improvements  in  building 
and  la3ang  off  the  gardens  and  groimds  that  now  adorn 
Moimt  Vernon.  He  continued  in  these  gratifying  em- 
ployments, occasionally  diversified  by  the  pleasures  of 
the  chase,  till  1787,  when  he  was  called  to  preside  in  the 
convention  that  formed  the  present  federal  constitution ; 
and  in  1789  he  left  his  beloved  retirement  to  assume  the 
duties  of  the  chief  magistracy  of  the  Union. 

During  the  residence  of  General  and  Mrs.  Washington 
at  Mount  Yemon,  after  the  peace  of  1783,  the  ancient 
mansion,  always  the  seat  of  hospitality,  was  crowded  with 
guests.  The  officers  of  the  French  and  American  armies, 
with  many  strangers  of  distinction,  hastened  to  pay  their 
respects  to  the  victorious  general,  now  merged  into  the 
illustrious  farmer  of  Mount  Vernon.    During  these  stir- 


606  EECOLLBonom  of  WAfiHiiraTON. 

ring  times,  Mrs.  Washington  performed  the  duties  of  a 
Virginia  housewife,  and  presided  at  her  well-spread  board, 
with  that  ease  and  elegance  of  manners  which  always 
distinguished  her.  At  length  the  period  arrived  when 
General  and  Mrs.  Washington  were  to  leave  the  de- 
lights of  retirement,  and  to  enter  upon  new  and  elevated 
scenes  of  life.  The  unanimous  voice  of  his  country  hail- 
ed the  hero  who  had  so  lately  led  her  armies  to  victory, 
as  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  young  empire  about  to 
dawn  upon  the  world. 

The  president  and  his  lady  bade  adieu  with  extreme  re- 
gret to  the  tranquil  and  happy  shades,  where  a  few  years 
of  repose  had,  in  a  great  measure,  effaced  the  effects  of 
the  toils  and  anxieties  of  war ;  where  a  little  Eden  had 
bloomed  and  iSourished  under  their  fostering  hands ;  and 
where  a  numerous  circle  of  friends  and  relatives  would 
sensibly  feel  the  privation  of  their  departure.  They  de- 
parted, and  hastened  to  where  duty  called  the  man  of  his 
country. 

The  journey  to  New  York,  in  1789,  waa  a  continued 
triumph.  The  august  spectacle  at  the  bridge  of  Trenton 
brought  tears  to  the  eyes  of  the  chief,  and  forms  one  of 
the  most  brilliant  recollections  of  the  age  of  Washington.* 

Arrived  at  the  seat  of  the  federal  government,  the 
president  and  Mrs.  Washington  found  their  establish^ 
ment  upon  a  scale  that,  while  it  partook  of  all  the  attri- 
butes of  our  republican  institutions,  possessed  at  the  same 
time  that  degree  of  dignity  and  regard  for  appearances^ 
so  necessary  to  give  to  our  infant  republic,  respect  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world.  The  house  was  handsomely  furnish- 
ed; the  equipages  neat,  with  horses  of  the  first  order; 

*  See  note  on  page  393. 


KARTHA  WASHINGTON.  507 

the  servants  wore  the  family  liveries;  and,  with  the 
exception  of  a  steward  and  housekeeper^  the  whole  es- 
tablishment differed  but  little  from  that  of  a  private  gen- 
tlemen. On  Tuesdays,  from  three  to  four  o'clock,  the 
president  received  the  foreign  ambassadors  and  strangers 
who  wished  to  be  introduced  to  him.  On  these  occar 
sions,  and  when  opening  the  sessions  of  Congress,  the 
president  wore  a  dress-sword.  His  personal  apparel  was 
always  remarkable  for  its  being  old-fashioned,  and  ex- 
ceedingly plain  and  neat  On  Thursdays  were  the  con- 
gressional dinners,  and  on  Friday  nights,  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton's drawing-room.  The  company  usually  assembled 
about  seven,  and  rarely  staid  after  ten  o'clock.  The 
ladies  were  seated,  and  the  president  passed  around  the 
circle,  paying  his  compliments  to  each.  At  the  drawing- 
rooms,  Mrs.  Morris  always  sat  at  the  right  of  the  lady- 
president,  and  at  all  the  dinners,  public  or  private,  at 
which  Bobert  Morris  was  a  guest,  that  venerable  man 
was  placed  at  the  right  of  Mrs.  Washington.  When 
ladies  called  at  the  president's  mansion,  the  habit  was  for 
the  secretaries  ^and  gentlemen  of  the  president's  house- 
hold to  hand  them  to  and  from  their  carriages;  but 
when  the  honored  relicts  of  Greene  and  Montgomery 
came  to  the  presidoliad^  the  president  himself  performed 
these  complimentary  dutie& 

On  the  anniversaries  of  the  great  national  festivals  of 
the  fourth  of  July  and  twenty-second  of  February,  the 
sages  of  the  Revolutionary  Congress  and  the  officers  of 
the  Revolutionary  army  renewed  their  acquaintance 
with  Mrs.  Washington.  Many  and  kindly  greetings 
then  took  place,  with  many  a  recollection  of  the  days  of 
trial.    The  Cincinnati,  after  paying  their  respects  to  their 


608  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  WA8HIN0T0N. 

chie^  were  seen  to  file  off  toward  the  parlor^  where  Lady 
Washington  was  m  waiting  to  receive  them,  and  where 
Wayne,  and  Mifflin,  and  Dickenson,  and  Stewart^  and 
Moylan,  and  Hartley,  and  a  host  of  veterans,  were  cor- 
dially  welcomed  as  old  friends,  and  where  many  an  in- 
teresting reminiscence  was  called  up,  of  the  headquarters 
and  the  "  times  of  the  Revolution/' 

On  Sundays,  unless  the  weather  was  uncommonly 
severe,  the  president  and  Mrs.  Washington  attended  divine 
service  at  Christ  church  ;*  and  in  the  evenings,  the  pres- 
ident read  to  Mrs.  Washington,  in  her  chamber,  a  sermon, 
or  some  portion  from  the  sacred  writings.  No  visiters, 
with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Speaker  Trmnbull,  were  ad- 
mitted to  the  presidoliad  on  Sundays. 

There  was  one  description  of  visiters,  however,  to  be 
found  about  the  first  president's  mansion  on  all  daya 
The  old  soldiers  repaired,  as  they  said,  to  headquarters, 
just  to  inquire  after  the  health  of  his  excellency  and 
Lady  Washington.  They  knew  his  excellency  was  of 
course  much  engaged ;  but  they  would  like  to  see  the 
good  lady.  One  had  been  a  soldier  of  the  Life-Guard ; 
another  had  been  on  duty  when  the  British  threatened 
to  surprise  the  headquarters ;  a  third  had  witnessed  that 
terrible  fellow,  Comwallis,  surrender  his  sword ;  each  one 
had  some  touching  appeal,  with  which  to  introduce  him- 
self to  the  peaceful  headquarters  of  the  presidoliad.  All 
were  ^  kindly  bid  to  stay,"  were  conducted  to  the  stew- 

*  In  Philadelphia.  They  attended  St.  Paal's  church,  when  in  New  York,  in 
which  two  pews  were  expressly  prepared,  one  for  the  president  and  his  family,  and 
the  other  for  the  governor  of  the  state  of  New  York  and  his  family — the  city  of  New 
York  then  being  the  state  capital.  The  pews  have  since  been  changed,  bat  the  old 
paintings  over  each  still  remain.  Washington,  according  to  his  diary,  attended  di- 
Tine  service  in  the  rooming,  and  oocapied  the  afternoon  in  writing  private  letters. 


MARTHA  WASHINOTON.  509 

ard's  apartments^  and  refreshments  set  before  them ;  and 
after  receiving  some  little  token  from  the  lady,  with  her 
best  wishes  for  the  health  and  happiness  of  an  old  soldier, 
they  went  their  ways,  while  blessings  upon  their  revered 
commander  and  the  good  Lady  Washington,  were  uttered 
by  many  a  war-worn  veteran  of  the  Revolution. 

In  the  spring  of  1797,  General  and  Mrs.  Washington, 
bidding  adieu  to  public  life,  took  their  leave  of  the  seat 
of  government  and  journeyed  to  the  South,  prepared  in 
good  earnest  to  spend  the  renmant  of  their  days  in  their 
beloved  retirement  of  Mount  Vernon.  The  general  re- 
sumed with  delight  his  agricultural  emplo3nDients,  while 
the  lady  bustled  again  amid  her  domestic  concerns,  show- 
ing that  neither  time  nor  her  late  elevated  station  had  in 
any  wise  impaired  her  qualifications  for  a  Virginia  house- 
wife ;  and  she  was  now  verging  upon  threescore  and  ten. 

But  for  Washington  to  be  retired  at  Mount  Vernon,  or 
anjrwhere  else,  was  out  of  the  question.  Crowds  which 
had  hailed  the  victorious  general  as  the  deliverer  of  his 
country,  and  called  him  with  acclamation  to  the  chief 
magistracy  of  the  infant  empire,  now  pressed  to  his  re- 
tirement, to  ofier  their  love  and  admiration  to  ihe  illus- 
trious farmer  of  Mount  Vernon. 

Mrs.  Washington  was  an  uncommon  early  riser,  leav- 
ing her  pillow  at  day-dawn  at  all  seasons  of  the  year, 
and  becoming  at  once  actively  engaged  in  her  household 
duties.  After  breakfast  she  retired  for  an  hour  to  her 
chamber,  which  hour  was  spent  in  prayer  and  reading 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  a  practice  that  she  never  omitted 
during  half  a  century  of  her  varied  life.* 

*  Mn.  CarringtOD,  wife  of  Colonel  Edward  Camngton,  who,  with  her  husband, 
Ytttted  the  fami]jr  at  Mount  Vernon  a  little  while  before  General  Washington's 


510  BfiGOLLBCnONB  OF  WiiffiDIOTON. 

Two  years  had  passed  happily  at  Mount  Vernon ;  for 
although  the  general,  yielding  to  the  claims  of  his  coun* 
try,  had  again  accepted  the  command-inrchief  of  her 
armies,  yet  he  had  stipulated  with  government  that  he 
should  not  leave  his  retirement,  unless  upon  the  actual 
invasion  of  an  enemy,  u  It  was  while  engaged  in  project* 
ing  new  and  ornamental  improvements  in  his  grounds, 
that  the  ^^  of  the  Almighty  went  forth,  calling  the  be- 
ing, the  measure  of  whose  earthly  fame  was  filled  to 
overflowing,  to  his  great  reward  in  a  higher  and  better 
world//  The  illness  was  short  and  severe.  Mrs.  Waahr 
ington  left  not  the  chamber  of  the  sufferer,  but  was  seen 
kneeling  at  the  bedside,  her  head  resting  upon  her  Bible, 
which  had  been  her  solace  in  the  many  and  heavy  afflic- 
tions she  had  undergone.  Dr.  Craik,  the  early  friend 
and  companion-in-arms  of  the  chie^  replaced  the  hand, 
which  wfius  almost  pulseless,  upon  the  pillow,  while  he 
tiimed  away  to  conceal  the  tears  that  &st  chased  each 
other  down  his  furrowed  cheeks.  The  last  effort  of  the 
expiring  Washington  was  worthy  of  the  Boman  fame  of 
his  life  and  character.  He  raised  himself  up,  and  casting 
a  look  of  benignity  on  all  around  him,  as  if  to  thank 

death,  wrote  to  her  tUter  as  follows,  concerning  Mrs.  Washington :  "  Let  as  repair 
to  the  old  lady's  room,  which  is  precisely  in  the  style  of  oar  good  old  aant's  —  that 
if  to  say,  nicely  fixed  for  all  sorts  of  work.  On  one  side  sits  the  chambermaid,  widi 
her  knitting ;  on  the  other,  a  little  colored  pet,  learning  to  sew.  An  old  decent 
woman  is  there,  with  her  table  and  shears,  catting  ont  the  negroes'  winter  clothes, 
while  the  good  old  lady  duects  them  all,  incessantly  knitting  herself.  She  points 
out  to  me  several  pair  of  nice  colored  stockings  and  gloves  she  had  josi  finished, 
and  presents  me  with  a«pair  half  done,  which  she  begs  I  will  finish  and  wear  for  her 
sake." — See  Bishop  Meade's  Old  Churches  and  Families  of  Virginia,  i.  98.  Sach  is 
the  picture  of  tlic  wealthy  and  honored  wife  of  Washington  in  the  privacy  of  her 
home.  What  an  example  of  industry  and  economy  for  the  wives  and  danghters  of 
America  I  Mrs.  Washington  always  spoke  of  the  days  of  her  public  life  at  New 
Toric  and  Philadelphia,  as  her  "lost  days.'* 


HABTSA  WAHHINOTOK.  511 

them  for  their  kindly  attentions,  he  composed  his  limbs, 
closed  his  eyes,  and  folding  his  arms  upon  his  bosom,  the 
Father  of  his  Country  expired,  gentle  as  though  an  in- 
fant died ! 

The  afflicted  relict  could  with  difficulty  be  removed 
from  the  chamber  of  death,  to  which  she  retxmied  no 
more,  but  occupied  other  apartments  for  the  residue  of 
her  days. 

By  an  arrangement  with  government,  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton consented  to  yield  the  remains  of  the  chief  to  the 
prayer  of  the  nation,  as  expressed  through  its  represen- 
tatives in  Congress,  conditioning  that  at  her  decease,  her 
own  remains  should  accompany  those  of  her  husband  to 
the  capitol. 

When  the  burst  of  grief  which  followed  the  death  of 
Ihe  Pater  Patrice  had  a  little  subsided,  visits  of  condol- 
ence to  the  bereaved  lady  were  made  by  the  first  per- 
sonages of  the  land.  The  president  of  the  United  States 
with  many  other  distinguished  individuals,  repaired  to 
Mount  Vernon ;  while  letters,  addresses,  funeral  orations, 
and  all  the  tokens  of  sorrow  and  respect,  loaded  the  mails 
from  every  quarter  of  the  country,  ofiering  the  sublime 
tribute  of  a  nation's  mourning  for  a  nation's  benefactor.* 

*  The  following  letter  to  Mrs.  WashingtoD,  from  the  Earl  of  Buchan,  brother  of 

Lord  Enkine,  was  foand  among  that  lady's  papers,  after  her  death,  by  her  grand- 

daughter,  Mrs.  Lawrence  Lewis  : — 

"Drtburoh  Abbet,  January  28/A,  1800. 

"  Madam  :  I  have  this  day  received  from  my  brother  in  London  the  afflicting 

tidings  of  the  death  of  yoar  admired  hnsbnnd,  my  revered  kinsman  and  friend.    I 

am  not  afraid,  even  andcr  this  sndden  and  unexpected  stroke  of  Divine  Providence, 

to  give  vent  to  the  immediate  reflections  excited  by  it,  becaose  my  attachment  to 

yonr  illnstrions  consort  was  the  pare  resnlt  of  reason,  reflection,  and  congeniality  of 

sentiment    He  was  one  of  those  whom  the  Almighty  in  successive  ages  has  chosen 

or  raised  up  to  promote  the  ultimate  designs  of  his  goodness  and  mercy,  in  the 

gradual  melioration  of  his  creatures,  and  the  coming  of  his  kingdom  which  is  in 

heaven.    It  may  be  said  of  that  great  and  good  man  who  has  been  taken  from 


612  RECOLLEOnONB   OF  WASHINGTON. 

Although  the  great  sun  of  attraction  had  sunk  in  the 
west^  still  the  radiance  shed  by  his  illustrious  life  and 

among  as,  what  was  written  hj  Tacitus  concerning  his  father-in-law,  Agricola  : 
*  Though  he  was  snatched  away  whilst  his  age  was  unbroken  by  infirmitj  or  dimmed 
by  bodilj  decay,  so  that  if  his  life  be  measured  by  his  glory,  he  attained  a  mightj 
length  of  days :  forming  true  felicity,  namely,  such  as  arise  from  virtue,  ho  had 
already  enjoyed  to  the  full.  As  he  had  likewise  held  the  supreme  authority  of  tha 
state,  with  the  confidence  and  applause  of  all  wise  and  good  men  from  erery  part  of 
the  world,  as  well  as  among  those  he  governed,  and  had  enjoyed  triumphal  honors  in 
a  war  undertaken  for  the  defense  of  the  unalienable  rights  of  mankind,  what  more, 
humanly  speaking,  could  fortune  add  to  his  lustre  and  renown.' 

"  After  enormous  wealth  he  sought  not ;  an  honorable  share  he  possessed.  His 
course  he  finished  in  the  peaceftil  retreat  of  his  own  election,  in  the  arms  of  a  dutiful 
and  affectionate  wife,  and  bedewed  with  the  tears  of  surrounding  relatives  and  friends 
with  the  unspeakably  superior  advantage  to  that  of  the  Roman  general,  in  the  hopes 
afforded  by  the  gospel  of  pardoning  peace.  He  therefore,  madam,  to  continue  my  paral- 
lel, maybe  accounted  singularly  happy,  since  by  dying,  according  to  his  own  Christian 
and  humble  wish,  expressed  on  many  occasions,  whilst  his  credit  was  nowise  im- 
paired, his  fame  in  its  full  splendor,  his  relations  and  friends,  not  only  in  a  state  of 
comfort  and  security,  but  of  honor,  he  has  escaped  many  evils  incident  to  declining 
years.  Moreover,  he  saw  the  government  of  his  country  in  hands  conformable  with 
our  joint  wishes,  and  to  the  safety  of  the  nations,  and  a  contingent  succession  open- 
ing not  less  favorable  to  the  liberties  and  happiness  of  the  people. 

"  Considering  my  uniform  regard  for  the  American  states  manifested  long  before 
their  forming  a  separate  nation,  I  ma^  be  classed,  as  it  were,  among  their  citizens, 
especially  as  I  have  come  of  a  worthy  ancestor.  Lord  Cardross,  who  found  refuge 
there  in  the  last  century,  and  had  large  property  in  Carolina,  where  Fort  Royal  is 
now  situated.  I  hope  it  will  not  be  thought  impertinent  or  officious,  if  I  recom- 
mend to  that  country  and  nation  at  large,  the  constant  remembrance  of  the  moral 
and  political  maxims  conveyed  to  its  citizens  by  the  Father  and  founder  of  the  United 
States,  in  his  Farewell  Address,  and  in  that  speech  which  he  made  to  the  senate 
and  house  of  representatives,  when  the  last  hand  was  put  to  the  formation  of  the 
Federal  Constitution ;  and  may  it  be  perpetual.  It  seems  to  me  that  sudi  maxims 
and  such  advice  ought  to  be  engraven  on  every  forum  or  place  of  common  assembly 
among  the  people,  and  read  by  parents,  teachers,  and  guardians  to  their  children 
and  pupils,  so  that  true  religion  and  virtue,  its  inseparable  attendant,  may  be  im- 
bibed by  the  rising  generation  to  remotest  ages,  and  the  foundations  of  national 
policy  be  laid  and  continued  in  the  superstructure,  in  the  pure  and  immutable  prin- 
ciples of  private  moralitity ;  since  there  is  no  truth  more  thoroughly  established  than 
that  there  exists  in  the  economy  and  course  of  Nature,  an  indissoluble  union  between 
virtue  and  happiness,  between  duty  and  happiness,  between  duty  and  advantage, 
between  the  genuine  maxims  of  an  honest  and  magnanimous  people,  and  the  solid 
rewards  of  public  prosperity  and  felicity ;  since  wc  ought  to  be  no  less  persup.d©1 
that  the  propitious  smiles  of  Heaven  can  never  be  expected  on  a  nation  that  dia- 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  513 

actions  drew  crowds  of  pilgrims  to  his  tomb.  The  estab- 
lishment of  Mount  Vernon  was  kept  up  to  its  former 
standard,  and  the  lady  presided  with  her  wonted  ease 
and  dignity  of  manner,  at  her  hospitable  board.  She 
relaxed  not  in  her  attentions  to  her  domestic  concerns, 
performing  the  arduous  duties  of  the  mistress  of  so  ex- 
tensive an  establishment,  although  in  the  sixty-ninth 
year  of  her  age,  and  evidently  suffering  in  her  spirits, 
from  the  heavy  bereavement  she  had  so  lately  sustained. 
In  little  more  than  two  years  from  the  demise  of  the 
chief,  Mrs.  Washington  became  alarmingly  ill  from  an 
attack  of  bilious  fever.  From  her  advanced  age,  the 
sorrow  that  had  preyed  upon  her  spirits,  and  the  severity 
of  the  attack,  the  family  physicians  gave  but  little  hope 
of  a  favorable  issue.  The  lady  herself  was  perfectly 
aware  that  her  hour  was  nigh ;  she  assembled  her  grand- 
children at  her  bedside,  discoursed  to  them  on  their 
respective  duties  through  life,  spoke  of  the  happy  in- 
fluences of  religion  upon  the  affairs  of  this  world,  of  the 
consolations  they  had  afforded  her  in  many  and  trying 
afflictions,  and  of  the  hopes  they  held  out  of  a  blessed 
immortality ;  and  then  siurounded  by  her  weeping  rela- 
tives, friends,  and  domestics,  the  venerable  rehct  of 
Washington  resigned  her  life  into  the  hands  of  her  Crea- 
tor, ip  the  seventy-first  year  of  her  age.* 

regards  the  eternal  rales  of  order  and  right  which  Heaven  itself  has  ordained;  and 
since  the  preservation  of  the  sacred  fire  of  liberty  and  the  destiny  of  the  republican 
model  of  government  are  justly  considered  as  deeply,  perhaps  finally,  staked  on 
the  experiment  entrusted  to  the  hands  of  the  American  people. 

"  Lady  Buchan  joins  with  me  in  the  most  sincerely  respectful  good  wishes.  I  am, 
madam,  with  sincere  esteem,  your  obedient  and  faithful  hnmble  servant 

"  BUCHAV." 

*  The  following  notice  of  the  death  of  Mrs.  Washington  appeared  in  the  Part 
Folio,  June  5,  1802  :— 

S3 


514  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  WA8HIN0T0N. 

Agreeably  to  her  directions  her  remains  were  placed 
in  a  leaden  coffin,  and  entombed  by  the  side  of  those  of 
the  chief,  to  await  the  pleasure  of  the  government 

In  person,  Mrs.  Washington  was  well-formed,  and 
somewhat  below  the  middle  size.  To  judge  from  her 
portrait  at  Arlington  House,  painted  by  Woolaston,  in 
1757,  when  she  was  in  the  bloom  of  life,  she  must  at 
that  period  have  been  eminently  handsome.  In  her 
dress,  though  plain,  she  was  so  scrupulously  neat,  that 
ladies  have  often  wondered  how  Mrs.  Washington  could 
wear  a  gown  for  a  week,  go  through  her  kitchen  and 
laundries,  and  all  the  varieties  of  places  in  the  routine  of 
domestic  management,  and  yet  the  gown  retained  its 
snow-like  whiteness,  unsullied  by  even  a  single  speck. 
In  her  conduct  to  her  servants,  her  discipline  was  prompt^ 
yet  humane,  and  her  household  was  remarkable  for  the 
excellence  of  its  domestics. 

Our  filial  task  is  done.  Few  females  have  ever 
figured  in  the  great  drama  of  life,  amid  scenes  so  varied 
and  imposing,  with  so  few  faults  and  so  many  virtues,  as 
the  subject  of  this  brief  memoir.  Identified  with  the 
Father  of  his  Country,  in  the  great  evente  which  led  to 
the  establishment  of  a  nation's  independence,  Mrs. 
Washington  necessarily  partook  much  of  his  thoughts, 
his  councils,  and  his  views.  Often  at  his  side,  in  that 
awful  period  that  ^  tried  men's  souls,''  her  cheerfulness 
soothed  his  anxieties,  her  firmness  inspired  confidence, 
while  her  devotional  piety  toward  the  Supreme  Being 

"  Died  At  Moant  Veraon,  on  Satardaj  evening,  the  2Sd  of  May,  1802,  Mn. 
Martha  Washington,  widow  of  the  late  illnstrions  General  George  Washington.  To 
those  amiable  and  Christian  virtues  which  adorn  the  female  character,  she  added 
dignity  of  manners,  superiority  of  understanding,  a  mind  intelligent  and  elevated. 
The  silence  of  respectful  grief  is  our  best  eulogy." 


MARTHA  WAfiHINeTON.  515 

enabled  her  to  discern  the  beautifal  form  of  hope,  amid 
the  darkness  occasioned  by  the  greatest  earthly  grief. 

After  a  long  life  abounding  in  yicissitudes,  having  a 
full  measure  of  sorrows,  but  with  many  and  high  enjoy- 
ments, the  venerable  Martha  Washington  descended  to 
the  grave,  cheered  by  the  prospect  of  a  blessed  immor- 
tality, and  mourned  by  the  millions  of  a  mighty  empire. 


516  RECOLLBCnONS  OF  WASHINOTON. 


CHAPTER  XXVIL 

PORTRAITS   OP  WASHINGTON  * 
A  Good  Pobtbar  ov  Waihisoton  DnimABU—AnxBioAJr  Asmn  oomfkimt  «o  pbbvobm 

THI T AlK  —  FOUB  OBIOIHAL  PXOTUXM  AT  AbLIHOTOM  HoUBB  —  POBTBAItB  BT  PbAUE|  HOUBOV, 
MABOHIOBBn  BB  BBIBlTint,  ABD  ShABPLBM— ThB  BABf.TBBT  PiCTinKB -~  CkABLBS  WiUBOB 
PbALB  —  POBTBAR OB  GbBBBB  AT  YAI.LBT  FOBOB—  WaBBZHOTOH^  OBBAT  ftTBBirfini — TbTII- 
BITLLIB  B^irBBTBIAB  POBTBAR — WABHIBOTOM^  TbBTB  —  StV ABT  ABB  KB  POBtBAI»  —  CbAT- 
OB  BT  WlLLXAVa  — POBTBARB  BT  CHABLBI  WiLUOV  PbALB  ABB  HO  lOir  BbMBXABBT—TbB 
ShABPLBIS  PxonrBB  at  ABUBOTOV  HoVIB  — CBBBAOCai'ft  BuBT— WAMIBGTDBli  FlSVBB— 
WSBncVLLBB^  PlOTITBB—'WANnBGTOBlB  SOB  ABB  WbIOHT—PbOVLIAB  FoBM  OB  n  TkUBK 
— LaBATBTTB  TO  TbUHBVLL—WhAT  8HAU  TBB  nAm>ABB  POBTBAR  BB. 

It  is  assuredly  both  desirable  and  proper  that  there 
should  belong  to  the  American  people,  and  descend  to 
their  posterity,  a  faithful  portraiture  of  their  Washington. 
They  have  in  their  own  country  all  the  materials  requi- 
site and  necessary  for  such  a  work ;  nor  need  they  to  go 
abroad  to  ensure  its  most  happy  execution — they  having 
artistic  genius  and  skill  of  the  highest  order  at  home« 

Of  original  pictures,  there  are  four  at  Arlington  House. 
The  most  ancient,  and  the  only  one  extant  of  the  hero 
at  that  time  of  day,  is  the  work  of  the  elder  Peale.f  It 
was  painted  in  1772,  full  size  and  three-quarter  length; 
representing  the  provincial  colonel  in  the  colonial  uni- 
form— blue,  with  scarlet  facings,  silver  lace,  and  scarlet 

*  This  chapter  is  composed  of  two,  the  last  published  in  the  NaUonal  InteOigmeer 
in  1855. 

t  Charles  Willson  Peale.  He  was  at  Mount  Vernon  in  Maj,  177S,  at  which  tine 
he  also  painted  a  portrait,  in  miniature,  of  Mrs.  Washington,  for  her  sop,  John 
Parke  Cnstis. 


PORTRAITS  OF  WASHINGTON.  517 

under-clothes,  with  sash  and  gorget^  and  the  hat  usually 
called  the  Wolfe  hat,  which,  from  its  size  and  shape,  must 
have  been  better  suited  for  service  in  a  forest  warfare 
than  would  be  the  chapeaux  of  modem  times.  This  is  a 
fine,  expressive  picture,  and  said  by  his  contemporaries, 
to  be  the  Washington  in  the  prime  of  life — ^the  coimte- 
nance  open  and  manly,  the  mild  blue  eye,  the  whole 
bespeaking  intelligence,  the  dominion  of  lofty  feelings, 
and  the  passions  at  rest 

It  will  be  remembered  that  1772  was  the  year  of  the 
remarkable  Indian  prophecy.* 

This  splendid  and  most  interesting  picture  formed  the 
principal  ornament  of  the  parlor  at  Moimt  Yemon  for 
twenty-seven  years,  and  for  the  truth  of  ite  resemblance 
to  the  Washington  of  colonial  times,  Dr.  James  Craik 
was  frequently  applied  to,  who  pronounced  it  to  be  a 
faithftQ  likeness  of  the  provincial  colonel  in  the  prime  of 
life.  The  venerable  James  Craik,  it  is  well  known,  was 
the  associate  and  bosom  friend  of  the  chief,  from  1754  to 
the  last  days  at  Mount  Vemonf 

Next  in  the  order  of  originals,  at  Arlington  House,  is 
a  half  bust,  by  Houdon,  after  the  manner  of  the  antique, 
full  size,  and  was  taken  soon  after  the  war  of  tlie  Rev- 
olution.J 

3d.  A  beautiful  cabinet  picture,  in  relief,  by  Madame 
de  Brienne,  representing  the  heads  of  Washington  and 
Lafayette,  about  the  time  of  Houdon.§ 

4th.  The  profile  likeness  in  crayon,  by  Sharpless,  in 

*  See  Chapter  zi. 
t  See  page  474. 

X  Hoadon  was  at  Mount  Vemoa  in  the  aatnron  of  1785. 
\  The  KarchionoM  de  Brienne  had  her  first  and  only  sitting  firom  Washington, 
in  October,  1789.    See  note  in  the  Appendix. 


518  '•  RECOLLEOnONS   OF  WA8HINQT0N. 

1797,  an  admirable  likeness,  the  profile  taken  by  an'inr 
strument,  and  critically  correct. 

Next  in  the  order  of  succession  we  have  a  fifll-length 
of  the  commander-in-chief,  painted  by  Peale  in  1779, 
dming  the  Revolution.''*  This  Peale  may  be  very  prop- 
erly styled  the  soldier-artist;  for  in  spring-time  he 
would  lay  aside  his  palette,  and,  commanding  a  company, 
fight  a  campaign,  and  on  going  into  winter-quarters, 
take  up  his  palette  again,  and  paint  the  portraits  of  the 
great  men  of  the  army  of  Independence.  The  soldier- 
artist  gave  a  most  graphic  and  amusing  account  of  his 
painting  the  portrait  of  General  Greene  at  Valley  Forge. 
He  said :  ^  The  wretched  hut  that  formed  my  studio  had 
but  two  articles  of  furniture — an  old  bedstead  and  a 
three-legged  chair!  The  general  being  a  heavy  man,  I 
placed  him  upon  the  bedstead,  while  I  steadied  myself  as 

*  Charles  Willson  Peale  was  born  at  Chestertown,  in  Maryland,  in  1741,  and 
was  apprenticed  to  a  saddler  in  Annapolis.  He  became  also  a  silrersmith,  watch- 
maker, and  carver.  He  oiFered  a  handsome  saddle  to  HesMUns,  a  portndt-painter, 
living  in  his  neighborhood,  if  he  would  explain  to  him  the  mystery  of  patting  colon 
npon  canvass.  Hesselias  complied,  and  from  that  day  Feale's  artist-life  began.  He 
went  to  England,  where  he  studied  under  Benjamin  West,  from  1767  to  1769.  He 
returned  to  America,  and  for  fifteen  years  was  the  only  portrait  painter  of  excellence 
in  this  country.  By  close  application  he  became  a  good  naturalist  end  preserver  of 
animals.  He  practised  dentistry,  and  invented  several  machines.  During  the  war  he 
conceived  the  grand  design  of  forming  a  portrait  gallery,  and  for  that  purpose  be 
painted  a  great  number  of  likenesses  of  the  leading  men  of  the  Revolution,  American 
and  foreign.  Many  were  of  life  eise,  and  others  in  miniature.  A  large  number  of 
the  former  are  now  in  the  possession  of  the  American  Museum  in  New  Toik,  and 
grace  the  gallery  of  that  establishment ;  and  others  cover  the  walls  of  Independence 
Hall,  in  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Peale  opened  a  picture  gallery  in  Philadelphia,  and  also  commenced  a  ma- 
seum,  which,  in  time,  became  extensive.  He  delivered  a  course  of  lectures  on  na- 
tural history,  and  was  very  efficient  in  the  establishment  and  support  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Academy  of  Fine  Arts.  He  lived  temperately,  worked  assiduously,  and 
was  greatly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  Ho  died  in  Febroary,  1827,  aj*ed 
eighty-six  years.  His  son,  Rembrandt,  is  now  [July  1859]  practising  his  nrt  in 
Philadelphia,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 


PORTRAITS  OF  WASHIKOTOK.  519 

weU  as  I  could  upon  the  rickety  chair ;  it  was  awftilly 
cold,  and  I  had  every  few  momente  to  thrust  my  hands 
into  the  fire  to  enable  me  to  hold  my  pencil.'*  In  such 
a  studio^  and  with  such  appliances,  was  painted  the  only 
reliable  likeness  that  we  have  of  the  illustrious  soldier 
who  was  the  hero  of  the  South,  and  second  only  to  him 
who  was  first  of  all. 

Peale  delighted  to  relate  incidents  that  occurred  dur- 
ing his  intercourse  at  various  times  with  Washington, 
particularly  the  display  of  the  vast  physical  prowess  of 
the  chief  in  1772.  He  said :  *  One  afternoon  several 
yoimg  gentlemen,  visiters  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  myself 
were  engaged  in  pitching  the  bar,  one  of  the  athletic 
sports  common  in  those  days,  when  suddenly  the  colonel 
appeared  among  us.  He  requested  to  be  shown  the 
pegs  that  marked  the  bounds  of  our  e£R)rts ;  then,  smil- 
ing, and  without  putting  off  his  coat,  held  out  his  hand 
for  the  missile.  No  sooner,"  observed  the  narrator,  with 
emphasis,  "  did  the  heavy  iron  bar  feel  the  grasp  of  his 
mighty  hand  than  it  lost  the  power  of  gravitation,  and 
whizzed  through  the  air,  striking  the  ground  far,  very 
far,  beyond  our  utmost  limits.  We  were  indeed  amazed, 
as  we  stood  around,  all  stripped  to  the  bu£^  with  shirt 
sleeves  rolled  up,  and  having  thought  ourselves  very 
clever  fellows,  while  the  colonel,  on  retiring,  pleasantly 
observed,  *  When  you  beat  my  pitch,  young  gentlemen, 
rUtryagam.'"* 

In  1790  appeared  the  equestrian  portrait  of  the  chief 
by  Colonel  Trumbull.  In  the  execution  of  this  fine 
work  of  art,  the  painter  had  standings  as  well  as  sittings — 
the  white  charger,  fully  caparisoned,  having  been  led  out 
and  held  by  a  groom,  while  the  chief  was  placed  by  the 

*  See  page  483. 


520  BECOLLflCnONS  OF  WASraNOTON. 

artist  by  the  side  of  the  horse,  the  right  arm  resting  on 
the  saddle.  In  this  novel  mode  the  relative  positions  of 
the  man  and  horse  were  sketched  out  and  afterwards 
-transferred  to  the  canvass*  There  is  a  copy,  size  of  life, 
of  the  equestrian  portrait  by  Trumbull,  in  the  City-hall 
of  New  York.  The  figure  of  Washington,  as  delineated 
by  Colonel  Trumbull,  is  the  most  perfect  extant  So  is 
the  costmne,  the  uniform  of  the  staff  in  the  war  for  In- 
dependence, being  the  ancient  whig  co&r5,blue  and  buff— 
a  very  splendid  performance  throughout,  and  the  objec- 
tion to  the  face  as  being  too  florid,  not  a  correct  one.  He 
was  both  fair  and  florid. 

In  1789  the  first  president  lost  his  teeth,  and,  the  arti- 
ficial ones  with  which  he  was  furnished  answering  very 
imperfectly  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  intended, 
a  marked  change  occurred  in  th^  appearance  of  his  face, 
more  especially  in  the  projection  of  the  under  lip,  which 
forms  so  distinguishing  a  feature  in  the  works  of  Stuart 
and  otibers  who  painted  portraits  of  the  great  man  sub- 
sequent to  1789.f 

We  come  now  to  a  brilliant  era  in  the  history  of  the 
fine  arts  in  the  United  States,  in  the  return  of  Gilbert 
Stuart  to  his  native  land  from  a  long  sojourn  in  Europe, 
where  his  great  fame  as  a  portrait  painter  obtained  for 
him  the  title  of  the  modem  Vandyke.  J    The  distinguish- 

*  There  must  be  some  error  in  this  account  See  remarks  on  the  rabject  in  Note 
Tii.  in  the  Appendix. 

t  Washington,  at  the  time  Stnart  painted  his  portrait,  had  a  set  of  sea-horse  tvoiy 
teeth.  These,  jast  made,  were  too  large  and  clamsj,  and  gare  that  peculiar  appeanmce 
of  the  month  seen  in  Stuart's  picture.  He  very  soon  rejected  them.  Stuart's 
mouth  is  a  caricature,  in  a  small  degree. 

)  Gilbert  Charles  Stuart  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  and  son  of  a  Scotch  snuff- 
maker.  He  was  bom  in  1754,  and  at  an  early  age  manifested  a  genius  for  art  He 
commenced  a  course  of  instruction  in  painting  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  wiA  aa 


POETRATTS  OP  WASHINGTON.  521 

ing  excellence  of  Stuart,  as  a  portrait  painter,  consisted 
in  his  giving  the  expression  of  character  to  his  portraits, 
a  novelty  in  portrait  painting  in  the  United  States  more 
than  half  a  century  ago.  Stuart's  ohject  and  ambition, 
on  returning  to  America,  were  to  paint  the  great  man  of 
his  country.  He  gave  to  this  work  all  his  genius,  all  his 
skill,  and  the  best  feelings  of  his  heart  The  first  por- 
trait of  Washington  by  Stuart  created  a  great  sensation 
on  its  appearance  in  Philadelphia.  It  was  soon  followed 
by  the  celebrated  fdll-length  for  the  marquis  of  Lans- 
downe.  In  this  splendid  picture  Stuart  has  failed  in  the 
figure  of  the  chief,  unapproachable  as  he  was,  in  painting 
the  head.*  The  great  artist  had  never  made  the  human 
figure  his  peculiar  study  or  practice.  Hence, /or  the  cor- 
red  figure  of  WasMngtm  we  must  refer,  in  aU  cases,  to  the 
toorks  of  TrumbuU.  It  was  our  good  fortune  to  see  much 
of  Gilbert  Stuart  in  his  studios  of  Philadelphia  and 

amatear  artist  named  Alexander.  They  made  a  tonr  of  the  Soathera  States  to 
gether,  and,  finally,  the  preceptor  invited  the  papil  to  go  to  Scotland  with  him.  He 
remained  there  sometime,  and  returned  to  New  York  qaite  a  competent  portrait 
painter.  There  he,  and  the  late  Doctor  Benjamin  Wateihoose,  commenced  drawing 
from  life  together.  In  1775  Stoart  went  to  England,  and  being  a  skilfal  musician, 
he  employed  masic  and  painting  in  gaining  a  lirelihood.  He  was  eccentric  and  did 
not  succeed  well.  In  West  he  found  a  friend  and  benefactor,  and  in  the  studio  of 
that  great  artist,  he  first  became  acquainted  with  Trumbull  He  rapidly  improved 
in  his  art,  and  might  have  become  the  first  portrait  painter  in  England,  had  not 
intemperate  habits  thwarted  the  aspirations  of  his  genius.  He  went  to  Dublin,  and 
then  to  New  York.  His  fame  had  preceded  him  to  America,  and  his  studio  was  filled 
with  sitters.  But  his  habits  of  intemperance  increased.  He  went  to  Philadelphia 
to  paint  President  Washington.  He  resided  there  and  at  Germantown  for  some 
time,  and  went  to  Washington  city,  when  the  federal  government  was  removed  to 
that  place.  From  1805  until  his  death,  he  practised  his  profession  in  Boston.  His 
death  occurred  in  July,  1828,  when  he  was  about  seventy-four  years  of  age. 

*  A  small  man  named  Smith,  with  whom  Stuart  boarded  in  Philadelphia,  stood 
for  the  figure  of  Stuart's  fulI-Icngths  of  Washington.  He  bad  a  cast  of  his  arm  and 
hand  made  from  a  model  of  that  of  Washington  seen  upon  the  extended  arm  of  the 
picture.    His  hand  was  much  smaller  than  that  of  the  chief. 


522  RECOLLECTIONS   OP  WiJ3HIN0T0R 

Washington  city,  and  to  hear  him  say, "  I  do  not  pretend 
to  have  painted  Washington  as  the  general  of  the  armies 
of  Independence;  I  knew  him  not  as  such;  I  have 
painted  the  first  president  of  the  United  States."  And 
again,  upon  his  being  asked,  ^Whom  did  Wadiington 
most  resemble  ?"  he  replied, "  No  one  but  himself"  Stu- 
art complained  bitterly  of  his  painting  for  the  marquis 
of  Lansdowne  having  been  pirated  by  Heath,  the  en- 
graver to  his  Britannic  majesty.  He  showed  us  a  cop- 
per-plate prepared  in  England  for  him  by  the  celebrated 
Sharpe,  the  first  engraver  in  Europe,  who,  although  re- 
tired from  the  burin,  had  consented  to  execute  a  farewell 
engraving  of  Stuart's  Washington.  The  copper-plate, 
was  large,  thick,  and  heavy,  and  polished  like  a  minor ; 
while  Stuart,  laying  his  hand  upon  the  plate,  observed 
with  much  feeling,  ^  The  profits,  my  young  friend,  of 
this  copper-plate  engraved  by  Sharpe  were  all  the  for- 
tune I  expected  to  leave  to  my  family."  Heath  made 
a  fortune  from  his  engraving  of  the  work  of  Stuart,  which 
engraving  is  a  superb  specimen  of  the  art 

Washington  was  a  bad  sitter.  It  annoyed  him  exceed- 
ingly to  sit  at  all;  and,  after  every  sitting,  he  was  wont 
to  declare  this  must  be  the  last.  Stuart,  once  finding 
the  chief  very  dull,  bethought  himself  to  introduce  the 
subject  of  horses.  This  roused  up  the  sitter,  and  the 
artist  obtained  the  desired  expression. 

The  works  of  Stuart  have  acquired  such  extensive  and 
deserved  celebrity,  that  a  critique  from  us  would  be  almost 
superfluous.  Of  the  great  president^  the  head  (that  is, 
the  head  only)  of  Stuart  is  certainly  a  chef  d'oguvre.  There 
are  three  originals  by  this  distinguished  master :  the  head 
and  bust,  from  which  many  copies  have  been  taken,  the 


PORTRAITS  OF  wAsHmaioN.  523 

fiill  length  for  the  marquis  of  Landsdowne^and  an  original 
intended  for  Mrs.  Washington  *  The  artist  has  heen  par- 
ticularly happy  in  delineating  that  gracfeful  fall  of  the 
shoulders,  for  which  the  chief  was  remarkable,  and  which 
is  said  to  constitute  among  the  finest  lines  in  the  por- 
traiture of  manly  excellence.  The  defects  of  the  fiill 
length  are  in  the  limbs.  There  is  too  much  of  round- 
ness and  finish,  according  to  the  rules  of  art  and  the  most 
approved  models  of  taste  and  celebrity;  whereas  the 
original  was  in  himself  a  model  for  the  arts.  Stuart 
once  observed,  "  My  impressions  of  his  superior  size  con- 
siderably abated  on  trying  on  his  coat,  and  finding  that 
the  span  of  his  body  was  not  greater  than  was  to  be 
found  in  some  other  men."  True.  We  repeat,  that  his 
remarkable  conformation  was  exclusively  in  the  limbs ; 
and  the  great  artist^  and  truly  pleasant  gentleman,  might 
have  continued  his  trials,  and  worn  out  the  coat  in  try- 
ing, ere  he  would  have  found  a  man  whose  arms  should 
have  filled  the  sleeves,  or  who  possessed  that  breadth  of 
wrists  and  those  hands  which,  in  the  chief,  almost  ^  ex- 
ceeded nature*s  law." 

A  Mr.  Williams,  a  painter  in  crayons,  had  sittings  about 
1794,  and  made  a  strong  likeness ;  but  we  have  no  fiir- 
ther  knowledge  of  him  or  his  works.f 

In  1795,  both  the  elder  and'younger  Peale  had  sittings. 
It  was  the  fortune  of  the  venerable  Charles  Willson  Peale 
to  have  painted  the  provincial  colonel  of  his  Britannic 
majesty's  service  in  1772,  and  the  same  individual,  as 

*  Thi8  is  in  the  poflsession  of  the  Boston  Athemeam. 

t  Of  this  artist  I  find  no  record.  Danlap  mentions  a  Williams  who  painted 
thirty  years  before  the  Reyolntion,  and  lent  West  books  on  the  subject  of  art ;  also, 
a  Willianu,  "  a  painter  both  in  oil  and  miniatnre,"  who  floorished  in  Boston  abont 
forty  years  ago. 


524  BECOLLECnONS  OF  WASmNGTON. 

chief  magistrate  of  a  great  empire,  in  1795.  The  Revo- 
lutionary recollections  of  the  Peale  family  embrace  James 
Peale,  who  was  one  of  that  gallant  band  of  Philadel- 
phians  who  joined  the  wreck  of  the  grand  army  in  76, 
and  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Trenton  and  Prince- 
ton. The  collection  of  portraits,  made  by  the  patriotic 
fomider  of  the  first  American  museum,  are  of  inestima- 
ble value  to  our  posterity,  being  the  only  likenesses  ex- 
tant of  some  of  the  most  distinguished  worthies  of  the 
days  of  trial.  This  collection,  and  the  museum  entire, 
should  be  government  property,  and  attached  to  a  na- 
tional university.* 

Mr.  Rembrandt  Peale,  with  a  laudable  desire  to  give  a 
genuine  portrait  of  the  Father  of  his  Country,  has  de- 
voted much  time  and  talent  to  his  Washington.  His  fine 
performance  has  received  commendation  firom  such  high 
authorities  that  we  deem  it  unnecessary  to  add  anything 
to  our  certificate,  which  will  be  found  in  the  publications 
on  that  subjecif  The  equestrian  picture,  by  Rembrandt 
Peale,  is  a  spirited  work,  and  entitled  to  praise,  as  well 
for  its  able  delineation  of  the  person  of  the  hero,  as  for 
the  other  characters  which  are  introduced,  particularly 
Hamilton,  which  is  to  the  life.  The  white  charger  is 
rather  too  small,  and  the  face  of  the  general-in-chief 
older  than  he  must  have  appeared  in  1781.  The  execu- 
tion of  this  large  work  is  highly  creditable  to  the  artist, 
and  the  school  of  American  arts.J 

*  These  were  sold  a  few  years  ago,  and  a  large  proportion  of  them  now  adorn 
the  walls  of  Independence  Hall,  Philadelphia. 

t  This  picture  was  purchased  bj  the  United  States  goyemment  for  $2,000,  and 
now  adorns  the  senate  chamber  in  the  federal  capitol. 

t  This  equestrian  portrait  is  now  (1859)  in  the  rotnnda  of  the  federal  capitol, 
awaiting  the  action  of  Congress  upon  a  proposition  to  purchase  It  for  the  gorem- 
ment. 


POETttAITS  OF  WASHmOTON.  525 

The  last  original  (profile  in  crayons)  was  by  Sharpless, 
1796,  and,  as  we  have  said,  is  now  at  Arlington  House. 
So  much  was  this  performance  admired  for  the  exquisite 
likeness  and  uncommon  truthfulness  of  expression,  that 
the  chief  ordered  portraits  by  the  same  artist  of  every 
member  of  his  domestic  family,  including  George  W. 
Lafayette* 

Cerracchi,  the  celebrated  sculptor  and  enthusiast  for 
liberty,  came  to  this  country  about  1793  or  1794,  and 
executed  two  busts,  in  marble,  of  the  president  and  of 
Hamilton,  the  last  said  to  be  the  best  Cerracchi  was  a 
singularly-looking  man  —  very  short,  full  of  action,  bril- 
liant eyes,  emitting  the  sparks  of  genius,  and  wore  two 
watches.  He  afterward  perished  at  Paris,  as  author  of 
the  "infernal  machine.*'  Cerracchi's  bust  of  the  chief  is 
a  failure ;  his  bust  of  Hamilton^  magnificenif 

We  have  thus  enumerated  most  of  the  reliable  orig- 
inals of  the  Pater  Patriae  from  1772  to  1796,  with  re- 
marks  upon  each.  These,  with  the  stajtue  by  Houdon  in 
1788,  constitute,  in  our  humble  opinion,  all  the  resem- 
blances in  paintings  and  sculpture  of  the  beloved  Wash- 
ington that  will  descend,  venerated  and  admired,  to  pos- 
terity. 

We  believe  that  we  have  gone  through  the  best  orig- 
inals, and  we  hope  with  equal  candor  and  justice  to  all. 
We  come  now  to  the  beautiful  statue,  by  Canova,  which 
long  will  "  enchant  our  western  world."  J 

If  the  drawings  which  we  have  seen  are  correct,  Ca- 
nova, too,  has  mistaken  the  figure  of  the  Pater  Patriae. 

*  This  portrait,  with  one  of  the  author  of  these  RecoUeettom,  mode  in  1797,  are 
now  at  Arlington  House, 
t  See  Note  WL  in  the  Appendix. 
I  This  statue  is  at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina.    The  head  is  from  Cerracchi's  bust 


626  BEGOLLECnOKS  OF  WA3HINQT0N. 

The  illustrious  artisV  seated  ia  the  ijtenial  City,  amid 
the  classic  remains  of  Roman  grandeur,  has  had  in  his 
mind's  eye  the  stout>  square  figure  of  those  heroes  whose 
patient  endurance  of  hardships,  whose  valor  and  dispi- 
pline,  rendered  them  masters  of  the  ancient  world.  But 
the  great  American  can  not  be  modelled,  from  coin  or 
statue,  by  the  force  of  genius  or  the  illustrations  of  art 
The  graces  of  his  person,  like  the  virtues  of  his  soul, 
owed  their  perfections  to  the  master-hand,  the  hand  of 
Nature. 

Of  the  painting,  said  to  be  an  original,  by  Wertmuller, 
and  executed  about  1795,  we  literally  know  nothing;* 
yet,  in  1795,  we  were  not  absent  from  the  presidential 
mansion  in  Philadelphia  a  single  day.  Again,  through 
whose  influence  was  the  sitting  obtained  for  a  picture 
said  to  be  for  a  Swedish  nobleman  ?  It  is  notorious  that 
it  was  only  by  hard  begging  that  Mrs.  Bingham  obtained 
the  sittings  for  the,  marquis  of  Lansdowne's  picture. 
And,  again,  we  knew  little  or  nothing  of  Sweden  in  the 
olden  days,  while  we  had,  and  still  preserve,  a  most  hon- 
ored recollection  of  Denmark  in  the  memory  of  a  gal- 
lant Dane,  Colonel  Febiger,  a  distinguished  officer  of 
our  Revolutionary  army.  And,  lastly,  if  the  Wertmuller 
was  painted  about  1795,  where  is  the  distinguishing  fea- 
ture in  the  physiognomy  of  the  chief  at  that  period -r- 
the  projection  of  the  under  lip  ? 

In  giving  a  description  of  the  stature  and  form  of 
Washington,  we  give  not  only  the  result  of  our  personal 
observation  and  experience  of  many  years,  but  information 
derived  from  the  highest  authority —  a  favorite  nephew. 

*  A  well-engraved  copy  of  this  portrait  is  pablished  in  the  first  Tolame  of  Irrisg;'! 
Life  of  Washington,    See  Note  vii.  in  the  Appendix. 


PORTRAITS   OF   WASHINGTON.  527 

Major  Lawrence  Lewis  asked  his  uncle  what  was  his 
height  in  the  prime  of  life  ?  He  replied,  ^  In  my  best 
days,  Lawrence,  I  stood  six  feet  and  two  inches  in  or- 
dinary shoes."  We  know  that  he  measured,  by  a  stand- 
ard, precisely  six  feet  when  laid  out  in  death.  Of  his 
weight  we  are  an  evidence,  having  heard  him  say  to 
Crawford,  governor  of  Canada,  in  1799,  "My  weight,  in 
my  best  days,  sir,  never  exceeded  from  two  hundred  and 
ten  to  twenty."  His  form  was  unique.  Unlike  most  ath- 
letic frames  that  expand  at  the  shoulders  and  then 
gather  in  at  the  hips,  the  form  of  Washington  devi- 
ated from  the  general  rule,  since  it  descended  from  the 
shoulders  to  the  hips  in  perpendicular  lines,  the  breadth 
of  the  trunk  being  nearly  as  great  at  the  one  end  aa  at 
the  other.  His  limbs  were  long,  large,  and  sinewy ;  in 
his  lower  limbs,  he  was  what  is  usually  called  straight- 
limbed.  His  joints,  feet,  and  hands,  were  large ;  and,  could 
a  cast  have  been  made  from  his  right  hand  (so  far  did  its 
dimensions  exceed  nature's  model),  it  would  have  been 
preserved  in  museums  for  ages  as  the  anatomical  won- 
der of  the  eighteenth  century. 

The  eyes  of  the  chief  were  a  light-grayish  blue,  deep 
sunken  in  their  sockets,  giving  the  expression  of  gravity 
and  thought  Stuart  painted  those  eyes  of  a  deeper 
blue,  saying,  "  In  a  hundred  years  they  will  have  faded 
to  the  right  color."  His  hair  was  of  a  hazel  brown,  and 
very  thin  in  his  latter  days.  In  his  movements,  he  pre- 
served, in  a  remarkable  degree  and  to  an  advanced  age, 
the  elastic  step  that  he  had  acquired  in  his  service  on 
the  frontier. 

Being  ordered  one  morning  very  early  into  the  library 
at  Mount  Vernon  (a  place  that  none  entered  without 


528  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  WASHINGTON, 

orders),  the  weather  being  warm,  we  found  the  chief  very 
much  undressed,  and,  while  looking  on  his  manly  frame, 
we  discovered  that  the  centre  of  his  chest  was  indented 
This  is  an  exception  to  the  general  rule  laid  down  by 
anatomists,  that>  where  the  human  frame  possesses  great 
muscular  power,  the  chest  should  rather  be  rounded  out 
and  protuberant  than  indented  *  We  were  equally  sur- 
prised to  find  how  thin  he  was  in  person,  being,  with  the 
absence  of  flesh,  literally  a  man  of  "  thews  and  sinews.** 
He  wore  around  his  neck  the  miniature-portrait  of  his 
wife.  This  he  had  worn  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of 
his  eventful  career,  from  the  period  of  his  marriage  to 
the  last  days  at  Moimt  Vemon.f 

In  the  appearance  of  Washington,  there  was  nothing  of 
bulkiness ;  but  there  was  united  all  that  was  dignified 
and  graceful,  while  his  air  and  manner  were  at  once 
noble  and  commanding.  No  one  approached  him  that 
did  not  feel  for  him,  as  Lord  Erskine  observed,  ^o,  degree 
of  awful  reverence."  J  He  wore  a  sword  with  a  peculiar 
grace.  The  Viscomte  de  Noailles  said  it  was  because 
"  the  man  was  made  for  the  sword,  and  not  the  sword  for 
the  man." 

*  Washington,  as  we  have  obsenred  elsewhere,  was  mach  affected  by  a  pulmonarj 
disease  in  1757  and  1758,  which  threatened,  at  one  time,  to  become  a  consumption. 

t  This  miniature  could  not  have  been  painted  earlier  than  the  visit  of  C.  W.  Feale 
to  Mount  Vernon,  in  1772,  by  whom  it  was  probably  executed.  We  have  no  ac- 
count of  any  painter  in  miniature  in  the  colonies  previous  to  that  time,  except  Tay- 
lor, who  painted  small  heads  in  water-colors,  in  Philadelphia,  in  1760. 

I  On  the  15th  of  March,  1797,  Lord  Erskine  wrote  to  Washington  from  London, 
saying,  "  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  introduce  your  august  and  immortal  name  in  a 
short  sentence,  which  is  to  be  found  in  a  book  I  send  you.  I  have  a  laige  acquaint- 
ance among  the  most  valuable  and  exalted  classes  of  men ;  but  you  are  the  only 
human  being  for  whom  I  have  ever  felt  an  awful  reverence.  I  sincerely  pray  God 
to  grant  you  a  long  and  serene  evening  to  a  life  so  gloriously  devoted  to  the  univer* 
•al  happiness  of  the  world." 


J 


POBTRAHS   OF  WASHINGTON.  529 

Lafayette,  not  long  ajPter  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
wrote  a  letter  to  Colonel  Trumbull,  urging  him  to  paint 
an  equestrian  portrait  of  the  chief  as  he  appeared  on 
the  field  at  Monmouth.  The  illustrious  Frenchman, 
America's  great  benefactor,  said  to  us,  "I  was  a  very 
young  major-general  on  that  memorable  day,  and  had  a 
great  deal  to  do,  but  took  time,  amid  the  heat  and  fmy 
of  the  fight,  to  gaze  upon  and  admire  Washington,  as, 
mounted  on  a  splendid  charger  covered  with  foam,  he 
rallied  our  line  with  words  never  to  be  forgotten :  ^  Stand 
fast,  my  boys,  and  receive  your  enemy;  the  southern 
troops  are  advancing  to  support  you !'  I  thought  then, 
as  I  do  now,"  continued  the  good  Lafayette,  "  that  never 
have  I  seen  so  superb  a  man."* 

Our  readers  may  ask.  Shall  the  standard  poriraUure  be 
equestrian  ?  We  reply,  to  the  portrait  of  one  so  accom- 
plished a  cavalier  as  Washington  was,  the  white  charger, 
with  the  leopard-skin  housings,  &c.,  would  be  an  embel- 
lishment, the  chief  to  be  dismounted,  with  arm  resting 
on  the  saddle,  after  the  manner  of  Trumbull. 

But,  whether  equestrian  or  not,  the  Americans  have 
the  materials  for  the  standard  before  them  in  tJie  head 
from  Stuart,  with  some  slight  modifications  from  the 
original  of  1772,  and  the  figure  from  TrumbuU  entire.  They 
have  only  to  choose  their  artist,  and  let  the  work  be 
done. 

We  have  been  thus  minute  in  describing  the  portrait- 
ure of  Washington,  because  posterity  always  inquires, 
"How  looked  the  great  of  the  olden  time?"  Should 
these  Recolkctians  meet  the  eye  of  posterity,  we  can  only 
say  that  our  portrait,  though  humbly,  is  faithfully  drawn. 

*  See  page  220. 
34 


630  RECOLLECnONS  OF  WASHIKOTON. 

Those  who  may  portray  the  chief  in  latter  life,  should 
lay  on  their  tints  of  age  full  lightly,  for  his  was  an  age 
of  action  and  of  untiring  labors  in  the  cause  of  public 
utility,  and  for  the  good  of  mankind ;  and,  although  he 
had  nearly  reached  the  scriptural  duration  of  man,  time 
had  so  gently  ushered  him  into  the  ^vale  of  years"  as  to 
have  left  its  usual  infirmities  behind,  while  his  *^  lusty 
winter"  had  shed  its  ^frosts  so  kindly"  that  he  seemed 
rather  bb  a  full  ripened  autumn,  for  no  desolation  was 
there. 

When  this  noble  empire  shall  have  achieved  its  high 
destiny,  and,  embracing  a  continent,  attained  a  power 
and  grandeur  unexampled  in  the  history  of  nations,  the 
future  American  from  the  topmost  height  of  his  great- 
ness, will  look  back  upon  the  early  days  of  his  country, 
and  call  up  the  ^time-honored"  memories  of  the  heroic 
era  and  the  age  of  Washington;  and,  when  contem- 
plating the  image  of  the  Pater  PatruBy  perpetuated  by 
the  mellowed  tints  of  the  canvass  and  the  freshness  of 
time-enduring  bronze,  with  honest  pride  of  ancestry  he 
will  exclaim, "  My  forefather  was  the  associate  of  that 
great  man  in  the  perils  and  glories  of  the  struggle  for 
^American  independence.  Let  there  be  undjring  honor 
to  the  memory  of  Washington ;  ever  green  be  the  lau- 
rels that  deck  his  trophied  tomb;  ever  living  be  the 
homage  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen  and  mankind 
for  the  patriot,  the  hero,  and  the  sage,  who,  under  Provi- 
dence, with  humble  means,  so  much  contributed  to  raise 
his  native  land  from  the  depths  of  dependence,  and  to 
place  her  in  the  rank  of  nations ;  who  presided  over  her 
civic  destinies  in  the  dawn  of  the  great  experiment  of 
self-government ;  and  who,  after  an  illustrious  life  spent 


POBTBAHS  OF  WASHINGTON.  531 

in  the  service  of  liberty  and  mankind^  and  without  a 
cloud  to  dim  the  lustre  of  his  fame^  descended  to  the 
grave  with  the  august  title  of  the  Father  of  his 
Country.* 

*  In  Note  viL  in  the  Appendix,  I  haye  given  a  brief  acconnt  of  Beyeral  original 
portraits  of  Washington,  not  mentioned  by  ICr.  Cnrtis. 


APPENDIX. 


NOTE   I.-Paoe  34. 

OBIGINAL  COBB£SPONDENCE  BETWEEN   GENERAL  WASHINGTON  AND 
JOHN  PABKE  CU8TIS. 

The  following  letters,  never  before  published,  passed  between 
General  Washington  and  his  step-son,  John  Parke  Custis,  during 
the  Revolution.  They  serve  to  exhibit,  in  a  strong  light,  that 
characteristic  of  the  great  leader's  mind,  which  enabled  him  to 
abstract  himself  from  the  most  important  public  concerns,  and  to 
attend  to  the  consideration  of  the  minute  details  of  private  life. 
These  letters  also  have  an  intrinsic  interest,  because  they  contain 
much  information  of  a  public  character,  having  a  bearing  upon 
the  current  events  of  the  time.  One  of  them  reveals  a  fact,  not 
generally  known,  namely,  that  officers  of  the  continental  army — 
even  Washington  himself — speculated  in  the  chances  of  profits 
arising  from  the  success  of  privateering. 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  dates  of  these  letters,  and  the  allusions 
in  them  to  current  events,  that  some  of  them  were  written  by 
Washington  at  times  when  the  weightiest  public  affairs  must  have 
occupied  his  mind. 

[WASHINGTON  TO  GUfiTIS.] 

Philadblphia,  June  19,  1775. 

Dear  Jack  :  I  have  been  called  upon  by  the  unanimous  voice 
of  the  colonies  to  take  the  command  of  the  continental  army.  It 
is  an  honor  I  neither  sought  after,  or  was  by  any  means  fond  of 
accepting,  from  a  consciousness  of  my  own  inexperience  and  ina- 
bility to  discharge  the  duties  of  so  important  a  trust.   However,  as 


i 


534  APPENDIX. 

tlie  partiality  of  the  Congress  has  placed  me  in  this  distinguished 
point  of  view,  I  can  make  them  no  other  return  but  what  will  flow 
from  close  attention  and  an  upright  intention — for  the  rest  I  can 
say  nothing.  My  great  concern  upon  this  occasion  is,  the  thought 
of  leaving  your  mother  under  the  uneasiness  which  I  fear  this  af- 
fair will  throw  her  into ;  I  therefore  hope,  expect,  and  indeed 
have  no  doubt,  of  your  using  every  means  in  your  power  to  keep 
up  her  spirits,  by  doing  everything  in  your  power  to  promote  her 
quiet.  I  have,  I  must  confess,  very  uneasy  feelings  on  her  ac- 
count, but  as  it  has  been  a  kind  of  unavoidable  necessity  which 
has  led  me  into  this  appointment,  I  shall  more  readily  hope  that 
success  will  attend  it  and  crown  our  meetings  with  happiness. 

At  any  time,  I  hope  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  say,  that  I  am 
always  pleased  with  yours  and  Nelly's  abidance  at  Mount  Yemen, 
much  less  upon  this  occasion,  when  I  think  it  absolutely  necessary 
for  the  peace  and  satisfaction  of  your  mother ;  a  consideration 
which  I  have  no  doubt  will  have  due  weight  with  you  both,  and 
require  no  arguments  to  enforce. 

As  the  public  gazettes  will  convey  every  article  of  intelligence 
that  I  could  communicate  in  this  letter,  I  shall  not  repeat  them, 
but  with  love  to  Nelly,  and  sincere  regard  for  yourself,  I  remain. 

Your  most  affectionate, 

Geo.  Washington. 

P.  S. — Since  writing  the  foregoing,  I  have  received  your  letter 
of  the  fifteenth  instant.  I  am  obliged  to  you  for  the  intelligence 
therein  contained,  and  am  glad  you  directed  about  the  tobacco, 
for  I  had  really  forgot  it.  You  must  now  take  upon  yourself  the 
entire  management  of  your  own  estate,  it  will  no  longer  be  in  my 
power  to  assist  you,  nor  is  there  any  occasion  for  it,  as  you  have 
never  discovered  a  disposition  to  put  it  to  a  bad  use. 

The  Oongress,  for  I  am  at  liberty  to  say  as  much,  are  about  to 
strike  two  million  of  dollars  as  a  continental  currency,  for  the 
support  of  the  war,  as  Great  Britain  seems  determined  to  enforce 
us  into — and  there  will  be  at  least  fifteen  thousand  raised  as  a 
continental  army.  As  I  am  exceedingly  hurried,  I  can  add  no 
more  at  present  than  that  I  am,  &c.  G.  W. 


LETTEBS  OF  WASHINGTON  AND   J.  P.  CUSTIS.  G36 

[WASHIKOTOK  TO  CU8TIB.] 

New  Yobk,  July  84, 1776. 

Dbab  Sib  :  I  wrote  to  you  two  or  three  posts  ago,  since  which 
your  letter  of  the  tenth  instant  is  come  to  hand.  With  respect 
to  the  proposed  exchange  of  lands  with  Colonel  Thomas  Moore, 
I  have  not  a  competent  knowledge  of  either  tract  to  give  an  opin- 
ion with  any  degree  of  precision;  but  from  the  situation  of 
Moore's  land,  and  its  contiguity  to  a  large  part  of  your  estate, 
and  where  you  will  probably  make  your  residence,  I  should,  were 
I  in  your  place,  be  rery  fond  of  the  exchange ;  especially,  as  the 
land  you  hold  in  Hanover  is  but  a  small  tract,  and  totally  de- 
tached from  the  rest  of  your  estate.  What  local  advantages  it 
may  have  I  know  not.  These  ought  to  be  inquired  into,  because 
a  valuable  mill  seat  often  gives  great  value  to  a  poor  piece  of 
land  (as  I  understand  that  of  yours  in  Hanover  is).  I  have  no 
doubt  myself,  but  that  middling  land  under  a  man's  own  eye,  is 
more  profitable  than  rich  land  at  a  distance,  for  which  reason  I 
should,  were  I  in  your  place,  be  for  drawing  as  many  of  my  slaves 
to  the  lands  in  King  William  and  King  and  Queen  as  could  work 
on  them  to  advantage,  and  I  should  also  be  for  adding  to  those 
tracts  if  it  could  be  done  upon  reasonable  terms. 

I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  by  your  account  that  General  Lewis* 
stands  so  unfkvorably  with  his  officers.  I  always  had  a  good 
opinion  of  him,  and  should  have  hoped  that  he  had  been  pos- 
sessed of  too  much  good  sense  to  maltreat  his  officers,  and  there- 
by render  himself  obnoxious  to  them. 

We  have  a  powerful  fleet  in  full  view  of  us — at  the  watering- 
place  of  Staten  island.  General  Howe  and  his  army  are  landed 
thereon,  and  it  is  thought  will  make  no  attempt  upon  this  city 
till  his  re-enforcements,  which  are  hourly  expected,  arrive.  When 
this  happens  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  there  will  be  some  pretty 
warm  work.  Give  my  love  to  Nelly,  and  compliments  to  Mr. 
Calvert  and  family,  and  to  others  who  may  inquire  afler,  dear  sir. 
Your  affectionate,  Geo.  Washington. 

*  General  Andrew  Lewif ,  an  excellent  yir;g;inian  oflScer  who  commanded  at  Point 
Pkasanty  in  the  battle  with  the  Indians  there,  in  1774. 


536  APPENDDL 

[CD8TI8  TO  WA8BIHOTON.] 

Mount  Airt,  Auguat  S,  1776. 

Honored  Sib:  Your  letters  of  the  eighth  and  tweniy-foarth 
ultimo  came  safely  to  hand,  and  I  should  certainly  have  answered 
them  before  now,  if  I  had  not  been  in  hopes  of  collecting  something 
worth  relating.  I  feel  the  sincerest  pleasure  that  my  professions 
of  gratitude  were  received  in  the  light  I  would  wish  them  to  be. 
I  can  only  express  it  in  words  at  this  time.  I  fervently  wish 
to  have  an  opportunity  of  fulfilling  them  by  my  actions ;  I  need 
no  more  words  to  convince  you  of  my  sincerity,  for  I  flatter  my- 
self you  are  satisfied  that  deceit  makes  no  part  of  my  character. 
I  am  happy  to  find  my  ideas  of  land  coincide  with  yours.  Hill 
informed  me  that  a  good  part  of  Colonel  Moore's  land  was  as 
finely  timbered  as  he  ever  saw,  and  the  soil  very  proper  for  farm- 
ing :  these  circumstances,  added  to  its  situation,  render  it  in  my 
opinion  a  very  desirable  purchase.  I  desired  Hill  to  contract  for 
it  on  the  best  terms  he  could,  with  the  advice  of  Uncles  Bassett 
and  Dandridge,  who  were  kind  enough  to  promise  all  their  assist- 
ance. My  land  in  Hanover,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  is  very  indif- 
ferent, and  is  valuable  only  for  its  timber. 

You  have  no  doubt  heard  of  the  men-of-war  coming  up  Potow- 
mack  as  far  as  Mr.  Brent's,  whose  house  they  burnt  with  several 
outhouses  and  some  stacks  of  wheat,  A  Captain  James  with 
sixty  militia  were  stationed  there  who  all  got  drunk,  and  kept 
challenging  the  men-of-war  to  come  ashore,  and  upbraiding  them 
with  cowardice.  Hammond  sent  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  who 
landed  about  ten  o'clock  under  cover  of  a  gondola  and  tender. 
The  militia  were  asleep  after  their  drinking  frolic,  and  did  not 
discover  the  enemy  until  they  landed  and  their  vessels  began  to 
fire.  Captain  James  desired  his  men  to  shift  for  themselves,  and 
ran  off  without  firing  a  gun.  A  young  man  by  name  of  Combs 
stayed  until  he  killed  three  of  the  enemy.  Colonel  Grayson  ap- 
pearing with  thirty  Prince  William  volunteers,  the  enemy  thought 
proper  to  retire  to  their  ships.  Captain  James  is  to  be  tried  for 
cowardice.  The  fleet,  after  performing  this  exploit,  returned 
down  the  river  to  George's  island,  from  whence  they  have  been 


LETTERS  OP  WASHINGTON  AND   J.  P.   CXJSTIS,  537 

drove  off  by  Major  Price  with  some  loss.  Thej  are  gone  down 
the  bay  in  a  most  sickly  condition.  I  have  not  heard  where  they 
have  stopped.  Before  they  left  the  island  they  bamed  several 
vessels,  and  I  hear  that  two  sloops  belonging  to  them  have  fallen 
into  Captain  Boucher's  hands. 

This  province  has  been  thrown  into  much  confusion  lately,  on 
account  of  elections.  In  several  counties  it  has  been  determined 
contrary  to  an  express  order  of  convention,  that  every  man  who 
bears  arms  is  entitled  to  vote.  This,  in  my  opinion,  is  a  danger- 
ous procedure,  and  tends  to  introduce  anarchy  and  confusion  as 
much  as  anything  I  know.  The  latter  it  has  already  introduced 
in  the  counties  where  it  has  been  practised ;  men  who  are  by  no 
means  qualified  having  been  chosen,  and  proper  men  left  out. 

I  have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  a  majority  of  the  coun- 
ties have  obeyed  the  order  of  convention.  Tour  old  friend  Colo- 
onel  Pitzhugh  is  elected  for  the  county  he  lives  in.  His  military 
knowledge  will  be  very  useful  in  council,  where  such  knowledge 
is  much  wanting.  T.  Johnson  is  left  out  of  every  office  at  pres- 
ent. He  was  appointed  a  brigadier-general.  The  county  he 
lived  in  petitioned  him  to  resign  his  commission,  that  they  might 
elect  him  a  burgess.  He  granted  their  request,  and  they  deceived 
him.  You  will,  I  doubt  not,  regret  with  me  that  so  proper  a 
man  should  be  left  out  of  office. 

I  received  by  last  post  a  letter  from  Dr.  Attwood,  containing 
an  account  against  me  of  two  dollars,  for  bleeding  and  sundry 
medicines.  I  well  remember  when  at  King's  college  to  have  re- 
ceived them,  but  I  am  much  at  a  loss  to  account  for  Doctor  Coop- 
er's extravagant  charge,  and  leaving  so  many  accounts  unpaid. 
I  shall  be  obliged  to  you  to  order  him  to  be  paid.  I  enclose  you 
his  letter  which  you  sent  under  cover  last  post.*  The  family 
here  and  at  Milwood  join  in  compliments.  Nelly  presents  her 
love.    I  am,  honored  sir. 

Tour  most  affectionate, 

John  Parke  Custis. 

«  Mr.  Castis  wai  in  Eiogs  (now  Columbia)  college  in  1773. 


538  APPENDIX. 

[WASHINOTOH  TO  CUSTI8.] 

M0KRI8  TowH,  January  22,  1777. 

Deab  Sib  :  Your  letter  of  the  seventh  came  to  my  hands  a  few 
days  ago,  and  brought  with  it  the  pleasing  reflection  of  your  still 
holding  me  in  remembrance. 

The  misfortune  of  short  enlistments,  and  an  unhappy  depend- 
ance  upon  militia,  have  shown  their  baneful  influence  at  every 
period,  and  almost  upon  every  occasion,  throughout  the  whole 
course  of  this  war.  At  no  time,  nor  upon  no  occasion,  were  they 
ever  more  exemplified  than  since  Christmas ;  for  if  we  could  but 
have  got  in  the  militia  in  time,  or  prevailed  upon  those  troops 
whose  times  expired  (as  they  generally  did)  on  the  first  of  this 
instant,  to  have  continued  (not  more  than  a  thousand  or  twelve 
hundred  agreeing  to  stay)  we  might,  I  am  persuaded,  have  cleared 
the  Jerseys  entirely  of  the  enemy.  Instead  of  this,  all  our  move- 
ments have  been  made  with  inferior  numbers,  and  with  a  mixed, 
motley  crew,  who  were  here  to-day,  gone  to-morrow,  without 
assigning  a  reason,  or  even  apprizing  you  of  it.  In  a  word,  I 
believe  I  may  with  truth  add,  that  I  do  not  think  that  any  officer 
since  the  creation  ever  had  such  a  variety  of  difficulties  and  per- 
plexities to  encounter  as  I  have.  How  we  shall  be  able  to  rub 
along  till  the  new  army  is  raised,  I  know  not.  Providence  has 
heretofore  saved  us  in  a  remarkable  manner,  and  on  this  we  must 
principally  rely.  Every  person  in  every  state  should  exert  him- 
self to  facilitate  the  raising  and  marching  the  new  regiments  to 
the  army  with  all  possible  expedition. 

I  have  never  seen  (but  heard  of)  the  resolve  you  mentioned, 
nor  do  I  get  a  paper  of  Purdie's*  once  a  month.  Those  who 
want  faith  to  believe  the  account  of  the  shocking  wastes  com- 
mitted by  Howe's  army — of  their  ravaging,  plundering,  and 
abuse  of  women — ^may  be  convinced,  to  their  sorrow,  perhaps,  if  a 
check  can  not  be  put  to  their  progress. 

It  is  painful  to  me  to  hear  of  such  illiberal  reflections  upon 
the  eastern  troops  as  you  say  prevails  in  Virginia.  I  always 
have,  and  always  shall  say,  that  I  do  not  believe  that  any  of  the 

*  Virginia  Gazette,  pablished  at  VTiUiamsbttrg,  YiigiDia. 


LETTERS  OF  WA8HIN€m)N  AND   J.   P.   CUSTI8.  639 

I 

states  prodace  better  men,  or  persons  capable  of  making  better 
soldiers,  but  it  is  to  be  acknowledged  that  they  are  (generally 
speaking)  most  wretchedly  officered.  To  this,  and  this  only,  is 
to  be  attributed  their  demerits.  The  policy  of  those  states  has 
been,  to  level  men  as  much  as  possible  to  one  standard*  The 
distinction,  therefore,  between  officers  and  soldiers  •  •  • 
and  that  hunger  and  thirst  after  glory  which*  •        •        • 

This  is  the  true  secret,  and  we  hare  found,  that  wherever  a  regi* 
ment  is  weU-officered,  their  men  have  behaved  well — when  other- 
wise, ill — ^the  misconduct  or  cowardly  behaviour  always  origin- 
ating with  the  officers  who  have  set  the  example.  Equal  injustice 
is  done  them,  in  depriving  them  of  merit  in  other  respects ;  for 
no  people  fly  to  arms  readier  than  they  do,  or  come  better  equip- 
ped, or  with  more  regularity  into  the  field  than  they. 

With  respect  to  your  inquiries  about  payments  made  Mr. 

I  can  not  answer  them  with  precision,  but  I  am  exceedingly  mis- 
taken if  I  have  not  made  him  two,  for  both  you  and  myself. 
Indeed  I  am  as  sure  of  it  as  t  can  be  of  anything  from  the  bad- 
ness of  my  memory.  I  think  I  made  him  one  payment  myself, 
and  the  treasurer,  or  Hill,  made  him  the  other.  The  book, 
however,  in  which  I  keep  your  accounts  will  show  it  (the  parch- 
ment-covered quarto  onef)  as  you  will,  I  suppose,  find  yourself 
charged  by  me,  with  the  payments  made. 

In  my  letter  to  Lund  Washington,  I  have  given  the  late  oc- 
currences, and  to  avoid  repetition,  I  refer  you  to  him.    My  love 
to  Nelly,  and  compliments  to  Mr.  Calvert's  family,  and  all  other 
inquiring  friends,  leaving  me  nothing  else  to  add,  than  that 
I  am,  your  affectionate,        Oeo.  Washington. 

[cnSTIS  TO  W1.SHINGTOK.]  • 

Willi A1C8BUSGH,  August  B,  1777. 

HoNOBED  Sir  :  I  do  with  the  most  unfeigned  pleasure  con- 
gratulate you  and  your  success  in  the  Jerseys  over  our  enemy. 

*  Some  modern  pea  bas  blotted  oat  seTeral  words  ia  the  foar  or  five  liaes  sac* 
ceeding  this  portion  of  the  sentence,  and  entirely  destroyed  the  conaection. 
t  Thii  aoconnt-book  is  now  at  Arlingtoa  Hoase. 


540  APPENDIX. 

We  are  now  anxious  to  know  where  these  disturbers  of  our  peace 
will  next  bend  their  course ;  but  rest  satisfied  that  at  your  ap- 
proach, the  plunderers  will  quit  any  part  of  the  country  they 
may  have  seized  upon,  with  the  same  disgrace  they  left  the 
Jerseys. 

You  will,  no  doubt,  be  surprised  to  hear  of  the  acquital  of 
Davis  and  his  accomplices.  It  has  indeed  astonished  every  one 
here,  except  the  judges,  and  the  lawyers  who  defended  the  crim- 
inals. I  was  present  at  the  trial,  and  was  clearly  satisfied  from 
the  evidence  that  Davis  was  guilty — the  jury  brought  in  their 
verdict  to  that  purpose.  But  the  attorney  having  omitted  to 
mention  who  the  enemies  of  America  were,  although  he  accused 
Davis  of  adhering  to  the  enemies  of  America,  the  lawyers  took 
hold  of  the  quibble,  and  persuaded  the  judges  to  overset  the  ver- 
dict. It  is  now  determined  that  releasing  prisoners  of  war  from 
their  place  of  confinement,  is  not  treason  against  the  state.  This 
judgment,  in  my  opinion,  does  not  reflect  much  honor  on  the 
talents  of  our  judges,  and  indeed  it  is  much  to  be  lamented,  that 
our  assembly  might  have  made  a  much  better  appointment  and 
did  not  do  it.  Their  decision,  I  am  afraid,  will  be  productive 
of  much  injury,  for  no  tory  or  prisoner  of  war  can  be  kept  in  this 
state,  as  those  who  set  them  at  liberty  are  subject  to  no  penalty. 
Davis  was  not  admitted  as  an  evidence,  on  account  of  his  having 
been  a  convict,  and  not  having  served  his  seven  years,  for  the 
lawyers  made  this  quibble,  that  no  man  can  be  an  evidence  un- 
less he  served  the  whole  time  of  his  conviction.  Tour  kindness 
to  Davis  in  giving  him  two  years  of  his  time,  had  well  nigh  cost 
him  his  life  in  this  instance,  and  prevented  him  from  bearing 
testimony  against  two  as  great  villains  as  himself. 

I  have  the  pleasure  to  acquaint  you  that  the  test  is  generally 
taken  through  the  country,  few  or  none  hesitating  to  take  it.  I 
wish  our  assembly  had  laid  a  tax  at  the  same  time  they  made 
the  test.  I  am  convinced  there  would  have  been  as  little  objec- 
tion to  the  one  as  the  other ;  but  unfortunately  for  us  our  rulers, 
like  other  men,  can  not  divest  themselves  of  their  attachment  to 
their  private  gain,  many  of  them  being  guilty  of  the  crime  they 


LETTERS  OP  WASHINGTON  AND   J.  P.   CTSTIS.  541 

ought  to  punish  in  otiiers,  their  whole  aim  being  to  get  immense 
fortunes,  which  some  have  succeeded  in. 

When  at  Philadelphia,  I  thought  nothing  could  exceed  the 
price  of  goods  at  that  place,  but  I  am  sorry  that  I  have  found 
good  reason  to  change  my  opinion.  Our  country  is  crowded 
with  harpies  from  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania,  who  buy  up  every 
article,  and  retail  them  out  again  at  the  most  intolerable  prices, 
distressing  the  poor  at  a  cruel  degree.  Our  assembly  provided 
nothing  against  this  evil,  which  we  must  submit  to,  without  any 
hopes  of  redress,  until  October,  unless  the  people  fall  upon  means 
to  redress  themselves,  which,  I  fear,  they  will,  from  the  great 
want  of  salt  which  these  devils  have  engrossed. 

I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that  your  people  at  Davenport's  are 
recovered  from  their  sickness.  They  have  had  a  dreadful  fever 
among  them,  which  has  at  last  subsided.  You  have  a  prospect 
of  a  very  plentiful  crop  this  year,  which  is  the  same  through  the 
country.  I  have  heard  some  old  gentlemen  say  they  do  not 
remember  such  prospects  of  a  crop  these  twenty  years  past. 
There  has  been  more  rain  since  harvest  then  I  remember  to 
have  seen  fall  at  this  season  of  the  year.  We  shall  have  Plenty 
if  not  Peace  this  year,  but  I  hope  to  enjoy  both  before  this  time 
twelvemonths. 

I  shall  always  acknowledge  with  pleasure  the  many  favors  and 
kindnesses  I  have  received  at  your  hands,  and  shall  always  gladly 
do  everything  to  make  you  some  return.  I  must  now  beg  of 
you,  sir,  to  accept,  as  an  instance  of  gratitude  in  me,  a  horse  colt, 
which  was  got  by  Delany's  horse,  out  of  a  very  fine  high-bred 
mare,  given  me  by  Mr.  Calvert.  I  wish  the  colt  was  older,  as 
he  would  be  more  acceptable.  He  was  foaled  only  in  June.  He 
is  a  dark  bay  vnth  a  blaze  in  his  face,  and,  as  I  am  informed,  is  a 
very  fine  made  colt,  and  large.  I  must  beg  of  you  not  to  be 
scrupulous  about  accepting  the  colt,  as  by  doing  it,  you  will 
much  oblige  me. 

Nelly  joins  me  in  wishing  you  health  and  victory  over  the 
enemy,  and  I  am,        Honored  sir,  your  most  afiectionate, 

J.  P.  CUSTIS. 


542  APPENDIX. 

flBXTllACT  OV  A  LSTTXS  TBOM  JOHXT  PARKB  CC8TIB  TO  OBKSBAL  WASHIVOTOIT.j 

Eltham,  September  11, 1777. 

I  AM  Sony  that  I  have  nothing  to  infonn  you  of  by  the  way  of 
newBy  except  that  the  militia  have  turned  ont  to  the  number  of 
five  thousand  very  fine  men.  Oeneral  Nelson  parades  twice  a 
week)  and  they  fire  away  an  amazing  quantity  of  powder,  I  think 
to  very  little  purpose,  when  we  are  not  overstocked,  and  the 
militia  to  continue  but  a  short  time.  The  cry  against  the  eastern 
troops  was  beginning  to  break  out  with  double  vigor.  Your 
letter  that  I  published  last  winter  had  the  desired  efiect  for  some 
time,  but  the  enemies  to  the  eastern  states  concluded  that  it 
was  generally  forgot  in  the  country.  A  member  of  Congress 
from  this  state,  wrote  to  his  son,  that  General  Stark  had,  on 
account  of  some  disgust,  drawn  himself  off  from  the  army  with 
two  thousand  men.  The  gentleman  asked  me  in  a  very  lai^ 
company,  if  I  knew  a  General  Stark,  formerly  Colonel  Stark.  I 
told  him,  yes,  and  he  was  looked  upon  as  a  brave  and  good  officer. 
He  replied  he  knew  him  to  be  a  damned  rascal,  and  produced 
this  letter,  when  the  whole  company  agreed  with  him.  This 
letter  was  greedily  circulated  about  the  town,  and  every  one 
was  abusing  the  eastern  troops  as  cowards.    General  Stark  has 

given  a  good  contradiction  to  Colonel  H ^n's*  letter.    It  is  to 

be  lamented  that  the  gentlemen  of  Congress  can  not  divest  them- 
selves of  their  private  animosities,  and  give  fair  and  impartial 
accounts.  I  have  seen  several  of  his  letters  filled  with  the  most 
bitter  invectives  against  the  eastern  men;  such  conduct  tends 
only  to  breed  divisions  among  us,  and  weaken  our  glorious  cause. 

I  was  prevailed  upon  yesterday  at  court  to  offer  myself  as  a 
delegate  at  the  next  election  in  New  Kent.  The  gentlemen 
gave  me  every  reason  to  expect  success  should  they  honor  me 
with  the  appointment.  I  am  determined  to  serve  them  on  true 
independent  principles  to  the  best  of  my  abilities. 

Nelly  joins  me  in  love,  and  wishing  you  a  glorious  victory  over 
our  enemy,  believe  me  sincerely  and  afiectionately, 

J.  P.  OusxiB. 

*  Colonel  Harrison. 


LETTERS   OP  WASHINaTON   AND   J.   P.   CUSTIS.  543 

[WASHIirOTOll  TO  CUITIS.] 

{Fbbxiomt  Crbkk  IV  Philadslphia,  N.  Y. 
Sqttember  28,  1777. 

Deab  Sm :  Your  letter  of  the  eleventh  instant  came  to  my 
hands  yesterday. 

It  was  always  my  intention,  if  agreeable  to  your  mother,  to 
give  you  the  oflfer  of  renting  her  dower-estate  in  King  William 
daring  my  interest  therein,  so  soon  as  you  come  of  age  to  act 
for  yourself.  On  two  accounts  I  resolved  to  do  this  —  first,  be- 
cause I  was  desirous  of  contracting  my  own  business  into  as 
narrow  a  compass  as  possible ;  and,  secondly,  because  I  thought 
an  estate,  so  capable  of  improvement  as  that  is  (in  the  hands  of 
a  person  who  had  a  permanent  interest  in  it,  and  the  means 
vrithal)  ought  not  to  be  neglected  till  an  unfortunate  event,  and 
perhaps  a  distant  one,  might  put  you  in  possession. 

The  little  attention  I  have  been  able  to  pay  to  any  part  of  my 
own  private  business  for  three  years  last  past  is  the  cause  why  this 
among  other  matters  has  escaped  me,  but  since  you  have  men- 
tioned it  yourself,  I  have  only  to  add,  that  it  will  be  quite  agree- 
able to  me  that  you  should  have  the  land,  and  everything  thereon 
except  breeding  mares,  if  any,  and  fillies. 

To  regulate  the  rent  by  the  rule  you  have  mentioned,  I  could 
not  consent,  because,  if  the  plantation  had  been  under  good 
management,  it  would  have  fixed  it  higher  than  you  ought  to 
give.  If,  under  bad  management,  which  I  believe  to  be  the  case, 
it  would  fix  it  too  low,  and  might  settle  it  at  nothing.  The 
only  true  criterion  is  to  determine  what  so  much  land,  with  so 
much  marsh,  in  such  a  part  of  the  country,  would  rent  for ;  and  then 
the  annual  value  of  so  many  slaves,  estimating  them  at  their  pres- 
ent worth,  at  the  same  time  having  respect  to  the  advantages 
and  disadvantages  of  the  old  and  the  young,  as  the  one  is  de- 
clining and  the  other  improving. 

As  you  are  desirous  of  having  the  matter  fixed  as  speedily  as 
possible — as  the  distance  between  us  is  too  great — the  season  far 
advanced — and  letters  too  apt  to  miscarry  to  negotiate  a  business 
of  this  kind,  in  that  way,  and  as  I  wish  for  no  more  than  impar- 


544  APPSNDIX. 

tial  gentlemen,  unconnected  with  both  of  us,  shall  say  I  ought  to 
have ;  I  am  content  to  leave  the  valuation  of  the  whole  to  Gen- 
eral Nelson,  Colonel  Braxton,  and  George  Webb,  Esq.  I  men- 
tion these  gentlemen  because  they  are  persons  of  character,  and 
because  no  time  may  be  lost  in  the  appointment. 

Whatever  rent  they  shall  fix  upon  the  land,  and  whatever  hire 
for  the  negroes,  I  contentedly  will  take.  The  stock  of  every 
kind  (except  mares  and  fillies),  and  plantation  utensils  and  work- 
ing tools  may  also  be  valued ;  at  which  you  may  take  them ;  by 
which  means  the  whole  business  may  be  finished  at  once. 

That  these  gentlemen  (if  you  approve  the  method  of  ascertain- 
ing the  rent)  may  know  it  is  with  my  approbation,  the  request  is 
made  to  them  you  will  show  them  this  letter,  and  at  the  same 
time  apologize  in  my  name  for  the  trouble  it  will  give  them  if 
they  are  obliging  enough  to  undertake  it. 

My  extreme  hurry,  especially  at  this  juncture,  only  allows  me 
time  to  give  my  love  to  Nelly,  and  to  assure  you  that  I  am,  with 
sincere  regard  and  afiection,  dear  sir,  yours, 

Geo.  Washington. 

P.  S.  In  the  present  fluctuating  state  of  things,  there  is  one 
thing  which  justice  to  myself  and  your  mother  requires  me  to 
condition  for,  and  that  is  that  the  rent  stipulated  shall  have  some 
relative  value,  to  secure  an  equivalent  for  the  land  and  slaves ; 
otherwise,  as  the  lease  will  be  an  absolute  conveyance  of  the 
estate  from  your  mother  and  me,  we  may  at  the  end  of  a  few 
years,  if  paper  money  continues  to  depreciate,  get  nothing  for  it. 
I  do  not  mean  by  this  to  insinuate  that  I  am  unwilling  to  receive 
paper  money — on  the  contrary,!  shall,  with  cheerfulness  receive 
payment  in  anything  that  has  a  currency  at  the  time,  but  of  equal 
value  then  to  the  intrinsic  worth  at  the  time  of  fixing  the  rent. 
In  a  word,  that  I  may  really,  and  not  nominally,  get  what  was 
intended  as  a  rent.    Yours,  Ac. 

6.  W N. 

JoHv  Pabkb  Custis,  Esq. 


LKTTERS  OF  WASHINOTON  AND   J.  P.  CUSTIS.  645 

[CUSTXS-  TO  WAtHINOTON.] 

Honored  Sib  :  I  have  intended  for  several  letters  past,  but  as 
often  forgot  it,  to  ask  whether  it  would  be  agreeable  to  yon^ 
to  admit  Colonel  Baylor  a  partner  in  the  share  we  have  of  the 
privateer.  He  was  very  desirous  to  become  an  adventurer,  and 
I  promised  to  acquaint  you  of  it,  but  forgot  it  until  now.  The 
share  I  own  is  divided  into  four  parts,  Mr.  Lund  Washington 
has  one  fourth,  the  remaining  three-fourths  are  divided  between 
you  and  myself.  If  you  have  no  objections,  I  am  willing  to 
oblige  Colonel  Baylor  with  a  fourth  part  of  the  share.  I  would 
not  be  understood  by  this,  that  I  think  I  have  a  bad  bargain. 
On  the  contrary,  I  think  we  have  every  reason  to  expect  great 
success.  I  propose  it  altogether  to  oblige  Colonel  Baylor,  as 
he  was  very  desirous  of  being  concerned  in  the  ship.  If  it  is 
agreeable  to  you,  you  will  please  to  acquaint  Colonel  Baylor  that 
we  shall  look  upon  him  as  a  partner,  and  that  I  should  be  glad 
to  know  on  whom  I  shall  draw  for  his  proportion  of  the  expense. 
You  will,  I  hope,  sir,  excuse  this  liberty,  and  believe  me,  honored, 

Tour  ever  affectionate, 

J.  P.  CUSTIS. 

[WABBIirOTOR  TO  0U8TIS.] 

j  Whitsmabsh,  12  miles  fitom  PhUadelphia, 
(  November  14,  1777. 

Dear  Sib  :  Tour  letter  of  the  twenty-sixth  ultimo  came  to  my 
hands  in  due  course  of  post*  I  observe  what  you  say  respecting 
the  renting  of  Claibornes.  It  is  not  my  wish  to  let  it  for  any 
longer  term  than  your  mamma  inclines  to,  and  at  no  rate,  for  her 
life,  unless  it  is  perfectly  agreeable  to  her.  This  I  did  conceive 
would  have  been  the  case  (as  I  think  she  informed  me)  to  you ; 
but  if  it  is  not,  I  am  equally  well  pleased.  I  am  very  well  con- 
vinced that  I  can,  when  time  will  permit  me  to  attend  to  my  own 
business,  readily  rent  the  place  for  my  own  interest  in  it,  as  there 
are  many  that  wish  for  it.  If  there  is  but  tolerable  good  grounds 
to  suspect  that  the  distemper  will  get  among  my  cattle  at  Clai- 
bornes, I  shall  be  glad  if  you  would  desire  Mr.  Qill,  when  you 

85 


546  APPENDIX. 

next  write  to  him,  to  dispose  of  them  if  he  can  (provided  he  also 
coincides  with  yon  in  opinion). 

It  is  much  to  be  wished  that  a  remedy  conld  be  applied  to  the 
depreciation  of  our  currency.  I  know  of  no  person  better  quali- 
fied to  do  this  than  Colonel  Mason,  and  shall  be  very  happy  to 
hear  that  he  has  taken  it  in  hand.  Long  have  I  been  persuaded 
of  the  indispensable  necessity  of  a  tax  for  the  purpose  of  sinking 
the  paper  money,  and  why  it  has  been  delayed  better  politicians 
than  I  must  account  for.  What  plan  Colonel  Mason  may  have 
in  contemplation  for  filling  up  the  Virginia  regiments  I  know  not, 
but  certain  I  am  that  this  is  a  measure  that  can  not  be  dispensed 
with,  nor  ought  not  under  any  pretext  whatsoever.  I  hope 
Colonel  Mason's  health  will  admit  his  attendance  on  the  assem- 
bly, and  no  other  plea  should  be  ofiered,  much  less  received  by 
his  constituents. 

It  is  perfectly  agreeable,  too,  that  Colonel  Baylor  should  share 
part  of  the  privateer.  I  have  spoken  to  him  on  the  subject ;  he 
still  continues  in  the  same  mind,  and  will  write  to  you  on  the 
subject.  I  shall  therefore  consider  myself  as  possessing  one 
fourth  of  your  full  share,  and  that  yourself,  Baylor,  L.  Washing- 
ton, and  I,  are  equally  concerned  in  the  share  you  at  first  held. 

The  only  articles  of  intelligence  worth  communicating  I  have 
written  to  your  mamma,  and  refer  you  to  that  letter.  We  have 
an  account,  indeed,  which  seems  to  gain  credit,  that  Weeks,  with 
a  squadron  of  ships  fitted  out  of  the  French  ports,  under  continen- 
tal colors,  had  taken  fifty-three  homeward-bound  West-Indiamen 
(chiefly  from  Jamaica)  in  the  English  channel ;  that  Lord  Stor- 
mont  was  recalled  from  the  court  of  Prance ;  and  war  expected 
every  moment  between  Prance  and  Britain.    Gk)d  send  it. 

Give  my  love  to  Nelly,  and  be  assured  that  with  sincere  regard 
I  remain,  dear  sir,  Your  most  afiectionate, 

Geo.  Washington. 


LETTERS  OP  WASHINQTON  AND   J.  P.   CUSTia  547 

[WASHINaTOK  TO  CC8T18.]* 

Yallkt  Fobge,  February  \,  1778. 

Dbab  Sib  :  I  will  just  write  you  a  few  lines  in  acknowledgment 
of  your  letter  of  the  fourteenth  ultimo,  which  was  detained  by 
the  posts,  not  being  able  to  cross  Susquehanna,  till  the  evening 
before  last.  I  congratulate  you  upon  the  birth  of  another  daugh- 
ter, and  Nelly's  good  health ;  and  heartily  wish  the  last  may  con- 
tinue, and  the  other  be  a  blessing  to  you. 

The  money  received  for  your  land  was,  I  think,  well  applied, 
unless  you  could  have  laid  it  out  for  other  lands  more  convenient ; 
which  method  I  should  have  preferred,  as  land  is  the  most  per^ 
manent  estate  we  can  hold,  and  most  likely  to  increase  in  its 
value.  Your  mamma  is  not  yet  arrived,  but  if  she  left  Mount 
Vernon  on  the  twenty-sixth  ultimo,  as  intended,  may,  I  think,  be 
expected  every  hour.  Mead  set  off  yesterday  (as  soon  as  I  got 
notice  of  her  intention)  to  meet  her.  We  are  in  a  dreary  kind 
of  place,  and  uncomfortably  provided ;  for  other  matters  I  shall 
refer  you  to  the  bearer.  Colonel  Fitzgerald,  who  can  give  you  the 
occurrences  of  the  camp,  Ac,  better  than  can  be  related  in  a 
letter.  My  best  wishes  attend  Nelly  and  the  little  ones,  and  with 
sincere  regard  I  am  and  shall  ever  remain,  dear  sir. 

Your  most  affectionate, 

Geo.  Washington. 

[XR8.  W1.8HINOTOR  TO  CU8TI8  AHD  WIFB.] 

MiDDLKBROOK,  Mctrch  the  19th,  1778. 

My  Dear  Children  :  Not  having  received  any  letters  from  you 
the  two  last  posts,  I  have  only  to  tell  you  that  the  general  and 
myself  are  well.  All  is  quiet  in  this  quarter.  It  is  from  the 
southward  that  we  expect  to  hear  news.  We  are  very  anxious 
to  know  how  our  affairs  are  going  in  that  quarter.  Colonel  Har- 
rison is  not  yet  arrived  at  camp.  We  have  heard  that  he  is  in 
Philadelphia  several  days  ago. 

I  hear  so  very  seldom  from  you,  that  I  don't  know  where  you 
are,  or  whether  you  intend  to  come  to  Alexandria  to  live  this 
spring,  or  when.  The  last  letter  from  Nelly  she  says  both  the 
children  have  been  very  ill :  they  were,  she  hoped,  getting  better. 


648  AFBWt>lX. 

If  yoQ  do  not  write  to  me  I  will  not  write  to  70a  again,  or  till  I 
get  letters  from  you.  Let  me  know  how  all  friends  below  are ; 
they  have  forgot  to  write  to  me,  I  belioTe. 

Remember  me  to  all  inquiring  friends.  Oive  the  dear  little 
girls  a  kiss  for  me,  and  tell  Bett  I  have  got  a  pretty  new  doll  for 
her,  but  don't  know  how  to  send  it  to  her.  The  general  joins 
me  in  love  to  you  both,  and  begs  to  be  remembered  to  all  our 
friends  that  inquire  after  us.  I  am,  with  sincere  love. 
Your  truly  affectionate  mother, 

Mabtha  Washingtom. 

[OUSTIl  TO  WASHINOTOH.] 

Mount  Yxxhok,  June  17, 1778. 

Honored  Sib  :  When  I  last  did  myself  the  pleasure  of  writing 
you,  I  was  in  so  great  a  hurry  that  I  believe  my  letter  was  scarce- 
ly legible.  I  must,  therefore,  in  this,  beg  an  excuse,  and  likewise 
make  an  apology  for  not  giving  you  an  account  of  the  acts  passed 
in  the  last  assembly.  I  herewith  transmit  you  the  titles  of  the 
acts,  and  wish  I  could  send  you  the  acts  themselves ;  they  might 
afford  you  some  sati^aotion.  But  through  laziness  or  some  other 
default  the  printer  has  not  got  them  ready ;  I  will  transmit  them 
as  soon  as  I  can  get  them.  The  bill  for  recruiting  the  army  holds 
out  every  inducement  to  the  men  to  enlist.  We  found  the  method 
of  drafting  men,  though  the  best,  was  the  most  disagreeable ;  we 
therefore  determined  to  give  them  every  inducement  to  enlist, 
and  if  that  fails,  we  shall  adopt  some  kind  of  draft. 

I  am  sorry  to  inform  you  that,  great  as  the  advantages  are,  I 
am  afraid  they  will  not  have  the  desired  effect.  Our  countrymen 
appear  to  be  totally  changed.  The  military  ardor,  which  dis- 
played itself  in  Virginia  in  the  beginning  of  this  dispute  in  a  dis- 
tinguished manner,  appears  to  be  almost  extinguished.  This 
little  paltry  trade  among  us  has  engrossed  the  attention  of  all 
orders  of  men,  and  has  increased  the  price  of  labor  to  such  an 
exorbitant  degree  that  a  soldier  can  not  be  enHsted.  It  may  ap- 
pear extraordinary,  but  is  very  true,  that  officers  are  as  difficult 
to  get  as  men;  I  mean  good  ones.    The  governor  has  been 


LETTERS  OF  WASHINGTON  AND   J.  P.   CUSTI8.  549 

obliged  to  advertise  for  officers  to  fill  up  our  state  troops,  and 
from  the  few  applications  has  been  obliged  to  make  a  very  indif- 
ferent choice.  There  was  a  bill  brought  into  the  house  for  regu- 
lating trade,  which,  I  am  confident,  would  haye  been  productive 
of  good  consequences ;  but  it  had  too  many  friends  in  the  house 
to  let  it  be  injured.    The  bill  was  thrown  out. 

Our  delegation  to  Congress,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  not  so  good 
as  I  could  wish,  or  as  we  might  have  had,  if  the  act  for  prevent- 
ing members  of  Congress  sitting  in  the  assembly  had  been  re- 
pealed. A  bill  for  that  purpose  was  brought  in  and  shared  the 
same  fate  with  the  other.  I  have  often  wished  my  colleague  had 
been  present ;  we  might  have  prevented  this  evil.  He  is  most 
inexcusable  in  staying  away.  He  got  as  far  as  Colonel  Black- 
burn's and  heard  the  house  had  broken  up.  If  that  act  had  been 
repealed,  our  delegation  would  have  been  very  respectable. 

I  mentioned  in  my  last  the  arrival  of  a  fifty-gun  ship  from 
France.  She  has  brought  the  most  valuable  cargo  that  ever  ar- 
rived in  one  ship.  The  governor  had  made  a  very  advantageous 
bargain  with  the  captain;  but  some  scoundrels  persuaded  the 
captain  he  had  sold  his  goods  too  cheap,  and  he  was  off  the  bar- 
gain. I  have  since  heard  the  governor  has  made  a  second  bar- 
gsdn.  The  cloth  on  board  alone  cost  80,000  pounds  sterling. 
There  are  4,000  suits  ready  made ;  20,000  pairs  of  stockings ; 
16,000  pairs  of  shoes ;  7  or  8,000  hats ;  several  thousand  shirts 
ready  made ;  besides,  a  great  quantity  of  linen"!  She  has  a  great 
deal  of  Burgundy  and  claret,  first  quality,  and  other  wines.  Her 
cargo,  the  governor  told  me,  cost  five  millions  of  livres.  The 
ship  goes  out  a  letter-of-marque,  if  war  should  be  declared  be- 
tween France  and  England,  with  fifteen  thousand  hogsheads  of 
tobacco  on  board.  The  state  has  more  than  that  number  on 
hand,  which  was  chiefly  bought  at  twenty-five  shillings.  The 
tobacco  is  to  be  delivered  along  side  the  ship  at  four  pounds  per 
hundred.  We  shall,  by  this  means,  get  the  goods  on  good  terms. 
This  cargo  is  sufficient  to  clothe  our  quota  without  purchasing 
any  more,  and  will  prevent  the  emission  of  more  money  for  this 
purchase. 


650  APPKNPDL 

I  was  so  unlucky  as  not  to  receive  your  letter  in  answer  to 
mine  by  Mr.  Washington  ;  and  I  intended  to  write  you  fully  my 
plan  in  selling  my  land,  by  this  post ;  but,  as  I  have  already  ex- 
ceeded the  bounds  of  moderation  in  the  length  of  my  letter,  I 
must  defer  it  to  the  next  post,  and  remain,  as  I  have  ever  been, 
your  most  affectionate,  J.  P.  Custis. 

[WA8HZNOTOV  TO  CU8TI8.] 

I  THANE  you  for  your  cordial  and  affectionate  congratulations 
on  our  late  success  at  Monmouth,  and  the  arrival  of  the  French 
fleet  at  the  Hook.  The  first  might,  I  think,  have  been  a  glorious 
day,  if  matters  had  begun  well  in  the  morning ;  but,  as  the  court- 
martial,  which  has  been  sitting  upward  of  a  month  for  the  trial 
of  General  Lee,  is  not  yet  over,  I  do  not  choose  to  say  anything 
on  the  subject,  further  than  that  there  evidently  appeared  a  capi- 
tal blunder,  or  something  else,  somewhere.  The  truth,  it  is  to  be 
hoped,  will  come  out  after  so  long  an  investigation  of  it.  If  it 
had  not  been  for  the  long  passage  of  the  French  fleet,  which  pre- 
vented their  arrival  till  after  the  evacuation  of  Philadelphia  — 
or  the  shallowness  of  the  water  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor  at 
New  York,  which  prevented  their  getting  in  there  —  one  of  the 
greatest  strokes  might  have  been  aimed  that  ever  was ;  and,  if 
successful,  which  I  think  would  have  been  reduced  to  a  moral  cer- 
tainty, the  ruin  oC  Great  Britain  must  have  followed,  as  both 
army  and  fleet  must,  undoubtedly,  have  fallen.  Count  D'Estaing, 
with  his  squadron,  are  now  at  Rhode  Island,  to  which  place  I 
have  detached  troops,  and  hope  soon  to  hear  of  some  favorable 
adventure  there,  as  an  attempt  will  be  made  upon  the  enemy  at 
that  place. 

After  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  I  marched  for  this  place,  where 
I  have  been  encamped  more  than  a  fortnight.  We  cut  off,  by 
the  present  position  of  the  army,  all  land  supplies  to  the  city 
of  New  York,  and  had  the  best  reasons  to  believe  that  the 
troops  there  were  suffering  greatly  for  want  of  provisions, 
but  the  French  fleet,  leaving  the  Hook,  opens  a  door  to  the  sea, 


LETTEBS  OF  WASHmGTON  AND  J.  P.   CUSTIS.  551 

through  which,  no  doubt,  they  will  endeavor  to  avail  them- 
selves. 

Give  my  love  to  Nelly,  Colonel  Bassett,  and  the  rest  of  our 
friends,  and  be  assured  that  I  am,  with  sincere  regard  and  affec- 
tion. Yours,  Geo.  Washington. 

[WABHINOTON  TO  CU8TI8.] 

iFRSDSBIOKSBUEO,  IN  THB  StATS  OF  NsW  YOBK, 
October  12,  1778. 

Dear  Sib  :  I  have  now,  at  your  request,  given  my  full  consent 
to  the  sale  of  the  lands  which  I  hold,  in  right  of  dower,  in  a 
tract  in  the  county  of  York ;  to  a  water  grist-mill  thereon ;  to 
lots  in  the  city  of  Williamsburg,  and  others  in  Jamestown ;  as 
also  to  your  renting,  or  otherwise  disposing  of  the  other  dower 
land  and  slaves  which  I  am  possessed  of  in  the  county  of  King 
William,  upon  the  terms  which  have  been  specifically  agreed 
and  subscribed  to.  But  I  should  think  myself  wanting  in  that 
friendship  and  regard  which  I  have  ever  professed  for  and  en- 
deavored to  evince  toward  you,  were  I  to  withhold  my  advice 
from  you  with  respect  to  the  disposal  of  them. 

A  moment's  reflection  must  convince  you  of  two  things :  first, 
that  lands  are  of  permanent  value ;  that  there  is  scarcely  a  pos- 
sibilty  of  their  falling  in  price,  but  almost  a  moral  certainty  of 
their  rising  exceedingly  in  value.  And,  secondly,  that  our  paper 
currency  is  fluctuating,  that  it  has  depreciated  considerably,  and 
that  no  human  foresight  can,  with  precision,  tell  how  low  it  may 
get,  as  the  rise  or  fall  of  it  depends  upon  contingencies  which 
the  utmost  stretch  of  human  sagacity  can  neither  foresee  nor 
prevent.  These  positions  being  granted  (and  no  one  can  gainsay 
the  justice  of  them),  it  follows  that,  by  parting  from  your  lands, 
you  give  a  certainty  for  an  uncertainty,  because  it  is  not  the 
nominal  price — it  is  not  ten,  fifteen,  or  twenty  pounds  an  acre — 
but  the  relative  value  of  this  sum  to  specie,  or  something  of  sub- 
stantial worth,  that  is  to  constitute  a  good  price.  The  inference, 
therefore,  I  mean  to  draw,  and  the  advice  I  shall  give  in  conse- 
quence of  it,  is  this,  that  you  do  not  convert  the  lands  you  now 


652  APPENDIX. 

hold  into  cash  faster  than  your  present  contract  with  the  Alex- 
anders, and  a  certain  prospect  of  again  vesting  it  in  other  lands 
more  convenient,  requires  of  you.  This  will  be  treading  upon 
sure  ground.  It  will  ena&le  you  to  discharge  contracts  already- 
entered  into,  and,  in  effect,  exchange  land  for  land ;  for  it  is  a 
matter  of  moonshine  to  you,  considered  in  that  point  of  view 
simply,  how  much  the  money  depreciates,  if  you  can  discharge 
one  pound  with  another,  and  get  land  of  equal  value  to  that  yoa 
sell.  But  far  different  from  this  is  the  case  of  those  who  sell 
for  cash  and  keep  that  cash  by  them,  put  it  to  interest,  or  re- 
ceive it  in  annual  payments  ;  for,  in  either  of  these  cases,  if  our 
currency  should  unfortunately  continue  to  depreciate  in  the  man- 
ner it  has  done  in  the  course  of  the  last  two  years,  a  pound  may 
not,  in  the  space  of  two  years  more,  be  worth  a  shilling,  the  dif- 
ference of  which  becomes  a  clear  loss  to  the  possessor,  and 
evinces,  in  a  clear  point  of  view,  the  force  and  efficacy  of  my  ad- 
vice to  you  to  pay  debts,  and  vest  it  in  something  that  will  retain 
its  primitive  value ;  or  rather,  in  your  case,  not  to  part  with  that 
thing  of  value  for  money,  unless  it  be  with  a  view  to  the  invest- 
ing it  in  something  of  equal  value ;  and  it  accounts,  at  the  same 
time,  for  the  principle  upon  which  I  act  with  respect  to  my  own 
interest  in  the  dower-lands ;  for  I  should  be  wanting  to  myself, 
and  guilty  of  an  inexcusable  act  of  remissness  and  criminal  in- 
justice to  your  mother  not  to  secure  an  equivalent  for  her  re- 
leasement  of  dower ;  and  this  might  be  the  case  of  a  nominal 
sum  that  had  no  relative  value  to  the  thing  in  question,  and 
which,  eventually,  might  be  a  means  of  giving  away  the  estate ; 
for  it  is  not  the  number  of  pounds,  but  the  worth  and  what  these 
pounds  will  fetch,  that  is  to  stamp  the  value  of  them.  Four  hun- 
dred pounds  in  paper  dollars  now  is,  and,  I  suppose,  at  the  time 
of  parting  with  this  dower,  may  be  worth  one  hundred  pounds 
in  specie ;  but,  two  years  hence,  one  hundred  pounds  in  specie 
may  be  worth,  and  will  fetch,  one  thousand  pounds  of  paper.  It 
can  not  be  reasonable  or  just,  therefore,  to  expect  that  I,  or  your 
mother  (if  she  should  be  the  survivor),  should  lose  this,  when  no 
person,  I  believe,  will  undertake  to  give  it  as  an  opinion  that  the 


LETTERS  OF  YfASBmCfK^  AND   J.  P.  CUSTIS.  S58 

value  of  the  dower  will  decrease,  but  the  direct  contrary,  as 
lands  are  increasing  in  their  price  every  day.  This,  if  yon  will 
follow  the  advice  here  given,  can  not  be  the  case  with  you,  let 
money  depreciate  as  it  will,  because*  with  a  pound  you  pay  a 
pound  in  discharge  of  a  purchase  already  made,  and  for  those  to 
be  made  you  can  regulate  your  sales  by  your  purchases. 

It  may  be  said  that  our  money  may  receive  a  proper  tone 
again,  and  in  that  case  it  would  be  an  advantage  to  turn  lands, 
Ac,  into  cash  for  the  benefit  of  the  rise.  In  answer  to  this,  I 
sliall  only  observe  that  this  is  a  lottery ;  that  it  may,  or  may  not, 
happen ;  that,  if  it  should  happen,  you  have  lost  nothing ;  if  it 
should  not,  you  have  saved  your  estate,  which,  in  the  other  case, 
might  have  been  sunk.  Hence  it  appears  that  you  may  play  a 
good  and  sure  game,  so  far  as  it  relates  to  yourself,  and,  as  far  as 
it  respects  me,  the  advantage  is  wholly  on  your  side ;  for  in- 
stance, if  the  difference  between  specie  and  paper  at  this  time  is 
as  four  to  one,  and  next  year  is  eight  to  one,  it  makes  no  differ- 
ence to  you,  because  the  presumption  is  that  tobacco,  com,  and 
other  produce,  will  rise  in  proportion  to  the  fall  of  the  money, 
and  fetch  in  quantity  what  it  lacks  in  quality.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  if  the  interest  was  to  be  fixed  at  the  present  difference  of 
four  to  one,  and  should  hereafter  become  as  one  to  one  (that  is 
equal),  I  should  get  four  times  as  much  as  I  am  content  to  re- 
ceive, and  you  would  lose  it ;  from  hence,  as  before,  you  may 
gain,  and  can  not  lose,  while  I  get  the  simple  value  of  the  estate, 
and  can  neither  gain  nor  lose,  which  is  all  I  aim  at  by  fixing  the 
value  of  the  dower  in  specie,  to  be  discharged  in  any  money  cur- 
rent in  the  country  at  the  time  of  payment,  at  the  prevailing  ex- 
change or  difference  between  specie  and  paper.  It  may  possibly 
be  said  that  this  is  setting  up  a  distinction  between  specie  and 
paper,  and  will  contribute  to  its  depreciation.  I  ask  if  there  is 
a  man  in  the  United  States  that  does  not  make  a  distinction 
when  four  to  one  is  the  difference,  and  whether  it  is  in  the  power 
of  an  individual  to  check  this  evil  when  Congress,  and  the 
several  assemblies,  are  found  unequal  to  the  task  ?  Not  to  re- 
quire, or  contract  for,  the  actual  payment  in  specie,  but  to  keep 


554  APPKNDDL 

this  as  much  out  of  sight  as  possible,  in  common  cases  that  are 
to  have  an  immediate  operation,  is  all  that  can  be  expected ; 
but,  in  a  bargain  that  may  exist  for  twenty  years,  there  should 
be  something  to  insure  mutual  advantage,  which  adranti^y 
though  every  man  can  judge  of  in  the  transactions  of  a  day,  no 
one  can  do  it  when  it  is  to  be  extended  to  years,  under  the  pres- 
ent fluctuating  state  of  our  paper  bills  of  credit. 

My  design  in  being  thus  particular  with  you,  is  to  answer  two 
purposes :  first,  to  show  my  ideas  of  the  impropriety  of  parting 
with  your  own  lands  faster  than  you  can  invest  the  money  in 
other  lands  (comprehending  those  already  purchased);  and, 
secondly,  to  evince  to  you  the  propriety  of  my  own  conduct  in 
securing  to  myself  and  your  mother  the  intrinsic  value,  neither 
more  nor  less,  of  the  dower-estate.  I  have  only  one  piece  of  ad- 
vice more  to  give,  and  that  is,  to  aim  rather  at  the  exchange  than 
sale  of  your  lands ;  and  I  think,  among  those  gentlemen  men- 
tioned in  a  former  letter,  you  may  find  chapmen.  I  am  with 
very  sincere  regard, 

Your  affectionate  friend  and  servant, 

Geo.  Washinoton. 

To  Fabxb  Cubtis,  Esq. 

[WABHIXOTON  TO  CU8TIB.] 

Fbxdbeickbbueo,  Nbw  Toek,  Oetdber  26, 1778. 

Deab  Jack  :  If  my  brother,  to  whom  the  enclosed  is  addressed, 
should  not  be  a  member  of  assembly,  and  in  Williamsburg,  I 
should  be  glad  if  you  would  continue  it  to  him  by  a  safe  hand. 

The  enemy  still  continue  to  keep  us  in  suspense  and  baffle  all 
conjecture  —  they  have  five  or  six  thousand  men  at  this  time  ac- 
tually on  board  transports,  lying  in  New  York  bay ;  and  a  fleet 
of  more  than  a  hundred  sail  left  the  Hook  on  the  twentieth 
instant  for  England ;  said  to  contain  invalids,  officers  of  the 
reduced  corps,  &c. 

This  fleet  comprehended  empty  provision  ships,  merchant  ships, 
and  private  adventurers,  taking  the  benefit  of  a  convoy;  at 
the  same  time  Admiral  Byron  with  fourteen  or  fifteen  sail  of  the 
line,  and  some  frigates,  sailed  from  the  Hook,  with  the  design, 


LETTEBS  OP  WASHINGTON  AND  J.  P.   CUSTIS.  556 

as  is  supposed,  to  blockade  the  French  squadron  at  Boston,  and 
keep  them  shut  in  there  till  the  transports  can  get  advanced  to 
their  respective  places  of  destination. 

It  still  remains  a  matter  of  great  uncertainty,  whether  the 
enemy  mean  to  evacuate  New  York  or  not.  I  do  not  myself 
think  they  will,  but  can  give  no  better  reason  for  their  staying 
than  that  they  ought  to  go — ^their  uniform  practice  is  to  run 
counter  to  all  expectation.  I  am,  therefore,  justified  in  my  con- 
clusion in  the  present  instance. 

1  forgot  when  you  were  here  to  desire  that  you  would  let  your 
vessel  bring  up  to  Mount  Yemen  all  the  nails  and  other  stores 
which  had  been  imported  for  the  use  of  my  plantation  at  Clai- 
borne's, and  not  delivered  out.  These  I  shall  want  myself. 
The  nails  are  of  great  importance  to  me. 

My  love  to  Nelly,  if  with  you,  and  compliments  to  all  friends. 
Sincerely  and  affectionately,        I  am  yours, 

Geo.  Washington. 

P.  S. — When  you  come,  or  send  to  Mount  Vernon,  let  my  mare 
be  brought. 

[WABHINOTON  TO  CU8TI8.] 

Frsdbsickbbuxo,  October  so,  1778. 

Deab  Sm :  The  letter  herewith  sent  for  Mr.  Hill  is  left  open 
for  your  perusal ;  after  reading  which,  seal  and  cause  it  to  be 
safely  delivered.  He  will  find  my  sentiments  fully  expressed, 
and  I  hope  will  make  no  further  appeals  to  me  on  the  subject  of 
his  wages. 

You  had  better  take  the  whole  crop  of  com,  fodder,  <bc.,  so 
soon  as  measured,  at  such  a  price  as  Oolonel  Bassett  shall  fix, 
and  if  the  same  thing  was  done  respecting  the  wheat,  it  would 
be  best  also  to  avoid  a  divided  interest,  and  distracting  the 
attention  of  the  overseer  between  your  property  and  mine,  in 
order  to  keep  it  separate  on  the  plantation,  and  in  the  sale  of  it. 
The  tobacco  I  expect,  and  hope  you  will  positively  direct  Daven- 
port to  carry  to  the  warehouse  as  soon  as  possible,  that  it  may 
not  be  wasted,  or  in  any  degree  be  injured  by  keeping  it  on  hand. 

When  it  is  inspected,  it  is  my  wish  that  his  share  be  immo- 


556  APPENDIX. 

diately  given  to  him,  and  my  part  put  into  the  hands  of  Colo* 
nel  Bassett,  to  be  sold  at  such  times,  and  for  such  prices  as 
his  judgment  shall  direct.  If  you  do  not  incline  to  take  the  com 
and  wheat  upon  the  terms  mentioned  before,  I  beg  that  it  be  im- 
mediately sold,  so  soon  as  it  is  out  of  the  shuck  and  straw ;  as  I 
would  not  wish  to  have  it  lay  in  bams  or  com-houses  five  days 
my  property,  in  expectation  of  a  good  market,  if  it  can  be  toler- 
ably well  sold  at  the  time  and  in  the  manner  I  have  mentioned, 
having  little  expectation  that  Davenport,  after  his  connection 
with  me  ceases,  will  give  that  attention  to  my  property  as  he 
would  to  those  on  whom  he  immediately  depended  for  his  place 
and  employment.  The  cotton,  I  presume,  your  mother  will 
want ;  it  should  therefore  be  got  in  order  to  come  round  when 
you  shall  find  occasion  to  send  your  vessel  to  Potomac. 

We  are  yet  in  a  state  of  suspense  respecting  the  enemy's  in- 
tentions of  evacuating  New  York  wholly,  or  in  part ;  circum- 
stances daily  arising  to  justify  one  in  the  adoption  of  either 
opinion.  A  considerable  embarkment  of  troops  has  actually 
taken  place,  and  is  still  continuing.  One  hundred  and  fifty 
transports  are  now  at  the  Hook  ready  for  sea.  A  few  days, 
therefore,  must,  I  should  think,  develop  Sir  Harry's  designs.  I 
have  no  doubt,  as  I  have  mentioned  in  my  former  letter,  that  the 
"West  Indies  is  their  object.  My  love  to  Nelly,  and  compliments 
to  all  friends.    I  am  yours,  affectionately. 

Geo.  Washington. 

[WASHINOTOK  TO  CUBTI8.] 

Pbilabblphia,  January  2,  1779. 

Dear  Sib:  Your  letter  of  the  twelfth  of  last  month  from 
Williamsburg  is  got  safe  to  hand,  and  I  am  obliged  to  you  for 
the  deed  which  you  have  got  from  the  secretary's  office  in  Rich- 
mond, and  purposed  bringing  to  Lund  Washington. 

You  say,  I  shall  be  surprised  at  the  slow  progress  made  by 
your  assembly  in  the  passage  of  the  bills  through  both  houses. 
I  really  am  not,  nor  shall  I,  I  believe,  be  again  surprised  at  any- 
thing ;  for  it  appears  to  me  that  idleness  and  dissipation  seems 


LETTBRS  OF  WASHmOTOR  AHD  J.  P.  CUSTIS.  657 

to  have  taken  suoh  fast  hold  of  every  body,  tiiat  I  shall  not  be  at 
aU  surprised  if  there  should  be  a  general  wreck  of  eyerything. 

From  my  former  knowledge  of  Finney,  and  what  yon  said 
(when  at  camp)  of  his  conduct  respecting  a  contract  for  com,  I 
could  not  help  mentioning  the  matter  to  the  quartermaster-gen- 
eral, who  wishes  to  know  the  precise  circumstances  of  the  case, 
that  he  may  take  measures  accordingly.  If  my  memory  has  not 
failed  me,  you  said  that  Finney  agreed  to  give  Mr.  Qeo,  Webb 
408.  a  barrel  for  some  certain  quantity,  or  all  that  he  could  pur- 
chase, and  that  Webb  immediately  sent,  or  rode  up  York  riYer 
himself  and  purchased  the  com  at  25s.  or  80s.  a  barrel. 

If  this  is  a  fact,  and  if  I  recollect  right,  you  spoke  of  it  with- 
out  reserve,  it  is  such  a  violent  imposition  upon  the  public,  and 
such  a  proof  of  his  indolence,  to  say  no  worse  of  it,  and  unfitness 
for  such  a  place  of  trust  as  to  remove  him  from  office.  I  would 
not  have  you  say  more  of  him  than  you  know  can  be  proved,  lest 
it  should  recoil.  I  think  you  mentioned  some  other  circumstance 
relative  to  a  contract  of  Finney  with  Mr.  Braxton.  Let  me 
hear  from  you  by  the  first  post  on  this  subject.  My  love  to 
Nelly  and  the  children.  Your  mother  will,  I  expect,  write  to 
you,  as  she  is  with  me  here,  and  well.    Youra,  afiectionately, 

Geo.  Washington. 

[-WASHixaToy  to  guivis.] 

Wmt  PoiiTT,  November  10,  1779. 

Deai^  Sib  :  Your  letter  of  the  seventh  of  last  month  came 
duly  to  hand,  and  should  have  been  acknowledged  sooner,  but 
for  the  load  of  business  which  has  pressed  upon  me  of  late. 

With  respect  to  the  valuation  of  the  cattle  (by  Colonel  Baa- 
sett),  you  had  of  me  last  fall,  I  do  not  conceive  there  will  be 
real  occasion  for  any  dispute.  I  want  nothing  but  justice,  and 
as  you  declare  your  willingness  to  do  this,  we  can  not  disagree ; 
but,  as  the  matt^  was  confided  to  Colonel  Bassett,  it  will,  in 
point  of  respect,  if  nothing  more,  be  necessary  to  know  upon 
what  principle  he  made  the  valuation,  which,  when  obtained,  I 
shall  be  able  to  give  you  a  decisive  answer ;  and  as  you  are  now 


568  APPiomix. 

together,  you  can  request  him  to  favor  me  with  the  reasons  that 
governed  him  in  this  business.    However  yon  may  have  under- 
stood it,  I  do  not  conceive  that  it  ever  was  my  promise  or  inten- 
tion that  you  should  have  picked  and  culled  the  cattle ;  and  if  it 
was  done,  you  surely  can  not  wish  to  fix  the  valuation  <^  the 
refuse^  as  a  criterion  for  the  appraisement  of  the  chosen;  con- 
sequently, the  prices  annexed  to  those  which  were  left  on  the 
plantation  can  be  no  just  rule  for  estimating  the  value  of  those 
of  better  quality  which  were  brought  off.    The  remainder  of  a 
small  stock  of  cattle,  after  selecting  forty-eight  head  of  the  best, 
may  be  of  little  worth,  while  the  number  chosen  may  be  very 
valuable,  and  is  so  much  opposed  to  the  separation  of  them,  that 
I  think  there  must  have  been  a  misunderstanding  if  you  conceive 
that  I  agreed  to  your  culling  the  stock.    My  idea  of  the  matter, 
as  far  as  recollection  can  carry  me,  is,  that  you  were  to  take  the 
whole  at  an  appraised  value,  or  the  whole  was  to  be  sold  at 
public  auction.    The  whole  would  have  invited  purchasers  and 
competitors,  but  a  few  of  the  refuse  must  have  brought  on  deri- 
sion and  resentment  if  people  had  been  assembled  at  a  sale  of 
them.    When  you  can  get  Oolonel  Bassett  to  state  his  sense  of 
the  matter  to  me«  I  shall  be  able  to  determine  finally  and  with- 
out delay. 

We  have  waited  so  long  in  anxious  expectation  of  the  French 
fleet  at  the  Hook,  without  hearing  anything  from  it,  or  of  it, 
since  its  first  arrival  at  Georgia,  that  we  begin  to  fear  that  some 
great  convulsion  in  the  earth  has  caused  a  chasm  between  this 
and  that  state  that  can  not  be  passed ;  or  why,  if  nothing  is  d<»ie, 
or  doing,  are  we  not  informed  of  it  ?  There  seems  to  be  the  strang- 
est fatality,  and  the  most  unaccountable  silence  attending  the 
operations  to  the  southward  that  can  be  conceived— every  mea- 
sure in  this  quarter  is  hung  in  the  most  disagreeable  state  of 
suspense — ^and  despair  of  doing  anything,  advanced  as  the  season 
is,  and  uncertainty  of  the  count's  co-operating  to  any  extent,  if 
he  should  come,  is  succeeding  fast  to  the  flattering  ideas  we  but 
lately  possessed. 

Nothing  new  has  taken  place  since  the  evacuation  of  Bhode 


LETTERS   OF  WASHINGTON  AND   J.   P.   CUSTIS.  559 

Island,  excepting  a  preparation  of  transports  at  New  York,  suf- 
ficient for  the  embarkation  of  abont  fonr  thousand  men,  which, 
it  is  said.  Lord  Oomwallis  is  to  command.  The  destination 
of  them  is  at  present  unknown,  but  conjectured  to  be  for  the 
West  Indies. 

Remember  me  affectionately  to  your  uncles  Bassett  and  Dan- 
dridge,  and  our  other  friends  in  that  quarter,  and  be  assured 
that  I  am,  with  great  regard  and  much  truth,  yours  affectionately. 

Geo.  Washington. 

[WABHIHGTON  TO  CU8TI8.]  * 

West  Point,  Auffutt  24, 1779. 

Deab  Snt:  In  answer  to  your  letter  of  the  11th  inst.,  I  can- 
didly acknowledge  I  am  at  a  loss  what  advice  to  give  you,  with 
precision,  respecting  the  sale  of  your  estate  upon  the  eastern 
shore ;  but,  upon  the  whole,  in  the  present  uncertain  state  of 
things,  should,  were  I  in  your  place,  postpone  the  measure  a 
while  longer. 

Your  own  observation  must  have  convinced  you  of  the  rapid 
depreciation  of  the  paper  currency  in  the  course  of  the  last 
ten  months,  and  this  it  will  continue  to  do  till  there  is  a  stop  put 
to  further  emissions,  and  till  some  vigorous  measures  are  adopted 
by  the  states  respectively  and  collectively  to  lessen  the  circula- 
ting medium.  You  must  be  sensible  that  it  is  not  forty  thousand 
pounds,  nor  four  hundred  thousand,  nor  any  nominal  sum  what- 
ever, that  would  give  you  the  value  of  the  land  in  Northampton. 
Instance  your  unfortunate  sale  of  the  York  estate  to  Colonel 
Braxton  for  twenty  thousand  pounds,  which,  I  suppose,  would 
now  fetch  one  hundred  thousand  pounds,  and,  unless  for  the 
purpose  of  speculating  in  that  or  some  other  article,  this  sum,  I 
am  persuaded,  would  be  refused  by  that  gentleman.  The  present 
profit  of  your  land  on  the  Eastern  shore  may  be  trifling — nay,  I 
will  admit  that,  at  this  time,  it  is  an  encumbrance  to  you — but 
still  it  retains  in  itself  an  intrinsic  and  real  value,  which  rises 
nominally  in  proportion  to  the  depreciation,  and  will  always  be 
valuable,  if  (admitting  the  worst)  the  money  should  cease  to 


560  APPENDIX. 

pass.  But,  though  the  event  is  not  probable,  I  will  suppose  that 
to  be  the  case,  or  that  it  should  continue  to  depreciate,  as  it  has 
done,  for  the  last  tea  months,  where  are  you  then  ?  Bereft  of 
jour  land,  and  in  possession  of  a  large  sum  of  money  that  will 
neither  buy  victuals  nor  clothes. 

There  are  but  two  motives  which  ought,  and,  I  trust,  can,  in- 
duce you  to  sell:  the  one  is  to  invest  the  money  in  the  purchase 
of  something  else  of  equal  value  immediately ;  the  other,  to  place 
it  in  the  public  funds.  If  the  first  is  your  object,  I  have  no  hesi- 
tation in  giving  my  opinion  in  favor  of  the  sale  ;  because  lands 
at  soT  great  a  distance  from  you  never  will  be  profitable,  and  your 
only  consideration  is  to  be  careful  in  your  bargains  elsewhere, 
making  the  prices  of  the  thing  sold  and  the  things  bought  cor- 
respond with  respect  to  times  and  places.  In  fact,  this  is  but 
another  name  for  barter  or  exchange ;  bnt^  when  the  other  is 
your  inducement,  the  whole  matter  turns  upon  the  credit  and 
appreciation  of  the  money,  and  these  again  upon  financing,  loans, 
taxes,  war,  peace,  good  success,  bad  success,  the  arts  of  design- 
ing men,  mode  of  redemption,  and  other  contingent  events,  which, 
in  my  judgment,  very  few  men  see  far  enough  into  to  justify  a 
capital  risk ;  consequently  you  would  be  playing  a  hazardous, 
and  possibly,  in  the  issue,  a  ruinous  game,  for  the  chance  of  hav* 
ing  sold  at  the  turn  of  the  tide,  as  it  were,  when  there  is  not 
much  fear  of  foregoing  this  advantage  by  any  sudden  i^predar 
'  tion  of  our  money.  In  a  word,  by  holding  your  land  a  few- 
months  longer,  you  can  only  loose  the  taxes ;  by  selling,  to  place 
the  money  in  the  fund,  you  may  lose  considerably.  Selling  to 
buy,  as  I  have  before  said,  I  consider  as  an  exchange  only ;  but 
then  both  bargains  should  be  made  at  the  same  time.  This  was 
my  advice  to  you  before,  and  I  now  repeat  it;  otherwise  the 
purchases  you  have  in  contemplation  may  rise  ^fty  per  cent,  be- 
tween your  sale  and  the  final  accomplishment  of  them. 

I  observe  what  you  say  also  respecting  payment  of  your  old 
bonds,  and  have  less  scruple  in  giving  it  to  you  as  my  opinion 
that  you  are  not  bound,  in  honor  or  by  any  principle  of  reason 
or  love  to  your  country,  to  accept  payment  of  such  as  are  upon 


LETTERS   OP   WASHINGTON   AND   J.  P.  CUSTIS.  561 

demand,  and  were  given  preyious  to  the  contest  and  to  the  de- 
preciation of  the  money  at  the  present  nominal  value  of  it,  by 
which  a  just  debt,  and  where  great  indulgences  have  been  shown 
the  creditor  in  forbearance,  is  discharged  at  the  rate  of  a  shil- 
ling in  the  pound.  Every  man  who  is  a  friend  to  the  cause  is  to 
receive  the  money  in  all  payments,  and  to  give  it  a  circulation 
as  free  as  the  air  he  breathes  in  ;  but  it  is  absurd  and  repugnant 
to  every  principle  of  honor,  honesty,  and  common  sense,  to  say 
that  one  man  shall  receive  a  shilling  in  the  pound  of  another  for 
a  just  debt  when  that  other  is  well  able  to  pay  twenty  shillings, 
and  the  same  means  which  enabled  him  to  pay  the  one  formerly 
will  enable  him,  with  as  much  ease,  to  pay  the  other  now. 

It  is  necessary  for  me  to  premise  that  I  am  totally  unac- 
quainted with  your  laws  on  this  head,  and  the  consequences  of  a 
refusal.  I  am  only  arguing,  therefore,  in  behalf  of  the  reason 
and  justice  of  my  opinion,  and  on  the  presumption  that  all  law 
is  founded  in  equity.  The  end  and  design,  therefore,  of  this  (if 
there  is  such  a  one  as  compels  payment  under  certain  penalties 
and  forfeitures)  could  only  be  to  give  credit  and  circulation  to 
the  bills  in  all  payments,  not  to  enrich  one  man  at  the  ruin  of 
another,  which  is  most  manifestly  the  case  at  present,  and  is  such 
a  glaring  abuse  of  common  justice  that  I  can  not  but  wonder  at 
the  practice  obtaining. 

Our  affairs,  at  present,  put  on  a  pleasing  aspect,  especially  in 
Europe  and  the  West  Indies,  and  bids  us,  I  think,  hope  for  the 
certain  and  final  accomplishment  of  our  independence.  But,  as 
peace  depends  upon  our  allies  equally  with  ourselves,  and  G-reat 
Britain  has  refused  the  mediation  of  Spain,  it  will  puzzle,  I  con- 
ceive, the  best  politicians  to  point  out  with  certainty  the  limita- 
tion of  our  warfare. 

Experience,  which  is  the  best  rule  to  walk  by,  has,  I  am  told, 
clearly  proved  the  utility  of  having  the  ditch  for  draining  of  sunken 
grounds  on  the  inside,  and  at  a  considerable  distance  (for  instance, 
two  shovels'  throw)  from  the  bank,  consequently  is  a  better  crite- 
rion to  judge  from  than  the  simple  opinion  of  your  ditcher,  who 
may  govern  himself  by  the  practice  of  other  countries  that  will  not 

36 


562  APPENDIX. 

apply  to  the  circumstance  of  this,  when  there  may  be  enemies  to 
our  banks  unknown,  perhaps,  to  them. 

We  have  given  the  enemy  another  little  stroke  in  the  sur- 
prise of  Powles-hook*  (within  cannon-<hot  of  New  York),  and 
bringing  off  seven  officers  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  men, 
commissioned  officers  and  privates.  This  was  a  brilliant  trans- 
action, and  performed  by  a  detachment  of  Virginians  and 
Marylanders,  under  the  command  of  Major  Lee,t  o^  ^^  ^^^ 
dragoons,  with  the  loss  of  not  more  than  ten  or  a  dozen  men. 
The  colors  of  the  garrison  were  also  brought  off. 

Remember  me  affectionately  to  Nelly  and  the  children ;  give 
my  compliments  to  any  inquiring  friends,  and  be  assured  that, 
with  the  truest  regard,  I  am  yours, 

Geo.  Washinoton. 

[ocrSTIB  TO  WASHIXOTON.J 

Mount  Ybbston,  October  26,  1779. 

Honored  Sib  :  Your  two  letters,  of  the  20th  ult.,  were  hand- 
ed to  me  by  Colonel  Hooc,  on  my  way  from  Eltham.  I  am  much 
obliged  to  you  for  your  kind  advice  respecting  the  sale  of  my 
land  in  Eling  and  Queen.  My  principal  reason  for  wanting  to 
sell  it  soon,  is  this :  the  houses  are  now  in  good  repair,  and  will 
sell  better  on  that  account ;  the  land  is  too  mean  to  make  it 
worth  my  while  to  keep  negroes  there  with  a  prospect  of  mak- 
ing a  crop,  when  I  could  employ  them  otherwise  to  more  advan- 
tage. It  would  not  do  for  me  to  leave  the  house  and  plantation 
without  some  one  to  take  care  of  them.  They  would,  in  that 
case,  be  soon  in  such  a  situation  that  would  make  them  sell  for 
less  than  they  would  now  do.  I  have  fixed  upon  three  pounds 
per  acre  as  my  lowest  price,  which  I  believe  I  shall  get,  and 
perhaps  more.  I  am  in  hopes  to  purchase  F.  Foster's  land  for 
the  money  I  sell  my  land  for,  which  will  be  the  greatest  addi- 
tion to  my  estate  in  N.  Kent.  My  being  so  unlucky  in  not 
receiving  your  letter  before  I  left  Williamsburg,  prevented  my 

*  Fanlas's  Hook,  now  Jersey  City. 

t  Biajor  Henry  Lee ;  afterward  governor  of  Yiiginift. 


LETTERS   OF   WASHINGTON   AND   J.  P.  OUSTIS.  563 

applying  to  Mr.  Wythe  about  drawing  the  deed  between  iis ;  but, 
as  a  delay  in  this  matter  will  not  be  productive  of  bad  conse- 
quences,  and  from  the  favorable  reports  circulating  among  us,  I 
am  in  hopes  shortly  to  hear  that  Howe  is  in  the  sama  situation 
with  Burgoyne,  which  I  pray  God  may  happen,  I  shall  once 
more  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  at  Mount  Vernon,  when  we 
shall  have  leisure  to  settle  this  matter.  But  if  this  desirable  event 
should  not  happen,  I  intend  myself  the  pleasure  of  visiting  camp 
shortly,  and  we  may  then  have  an  opportunity  of  doing  this 
business.  • 

I  believe  I  shall  be  obliged  to  postpone  settling  the  rent  of 
your  plantation  in  King  William  until  that  wished-for  period, 
as  mamma  seems  to  have  some  objections  to  renting  it  during 
her  life,  and  it  would  not  answer  my  purpose  to  rent  it  on  any 
other  terms.  Wlien  I  first  wrote  to  you,  I  thought  she  had  no 
objections ;  but,  since  I  received  your  letter,  I  have  talked 
to  her  on  that  subject,  and  it  does  not  appear  to  be  perfectly 
agreeable  to  her  to  part  with  the  place  altogether  during  life. 
When  I  wrote  to  you,  I  was  at  some  loss  how  to  employ  those 
hands  that  now  work  on  the  King  and  Queen  land  to  advan- 
tage ;  but,  since  that  time,  I  have  fallen  on  a  plan  of  employing 
them  in  making  meadows,  which,  I  think,  will  turn  out  to  as  much 
advantage  as  anything  I  can  set  them  about.  I  am  very  sorry 
to  inform  you  that  I  am  afraid  your  stock  can  not  possibly  escape 
the  distemper  another  summer ;  indeed,  I  am  so  thoroughly  con- 
vinced of  it  that  I  am  determined,  as  the  most  prudent  method,  to 
sell  all  my  cattle  that  have  not  had  the  distemper,  and  get  those 
that  have  had  it,  both  in  N.  Kent  and  King  and  William.  The 
distemper  has  killed  fifty  odd  head  for  Mr.  Dandridge,  and  sev- 
eral for  Mr.  Braxton.  It  is  a  miracle  we  escaped  this  summer ; 
we  can  hardly  expect  to  do  it  another,  as  the  malady  is  on  each 
side  of  us. 

Our  neighbor,  Golonel  Mason  is  preparing  a  remedy  against 
the  depreciation  of  our  money,  which  I  think  will  do  him  great 
credit.  He  is  preparing  a  bill  for  a  general  assessment  on  all 
property,  by  which  he  will  draw  in  j£5,000,000  per  annum.    His 


664  APPENDIX. 

valuation  of  property  is  very  low,  which  will  render  his  plan 
very  agreeable  to  the  people.  He  has,  likewise,  a  plan  for  re- 
cruiting our  army,  which  I  think  a  very  good  one ;  but  I  am 
fearful  they  will  not  succeed,  by  his  not*attending  the  assembly 
which  met  last  Monday.  He  proposed  to  set  off  this  day ;  but, 
as  it  is  a  rainy  day,  he  will  be  disappointed.  I  wish  he  may  set 
off  when  the  weather  will  permit ;  his  attendance  in  assembly  is 
of  the  greatest  importance  to  this  state,  as  it  was  never  so  badly 
represented  as  at  present. 

Nelly  joins  me  in  wishing  you  health,  victory,  and  every  bless- 
ing in  this  world,  and  believe  me,  honored  sir. 

Your  most  affectionate, 

T.  P.  OUSTB. 

[WASHINOTON  TO  CU8TI8.] 

MoBBiSTOWN,  January  20,  1780. 

Dear  Custis  :  I  should  have  acknowledged  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  of  the  twelfth  ult.  long  since,  but  for  the  many  important 
matters  which  have  claimed  my  attention. 

My  letter  which  missed  you  on  its  passage  to  Williamsburg, 
will  acquaint  you  (as  there  is  little  doubt  of  its  having  got  to 
hand  long  ere  this)  of  the  footing  I  proposed  to  put  the  valu- 
ation of  the  cattle  upon  that  you  had  of  me.  I  only  wished  to 
hear  upon  what  principle  Colonel  Bassett  acted,  as  I  thought  it 
ungenteel  to  give  a  gentleman  the  trouble  of  performing  a  service 
and  disregard  it  so  much  afterwards  as  not  even  to  inquire  upon 
what  grounds  he  went — as  I  want  nothing  but  justice,  and  this 
being  your  aim,  it  is  scarce  possible  for  us  to  disagree — ^but  there 
is  one  thing  which  ought  to  be  held  in  remembrance,  and  I  men- 
tion it  accordingly,  and  that  is,  that  I  should  get  no  more  real 
value  for  my  c%ttle  at  ^40  apiece,  payable  in  the  fall  of  1779, 
than  I  should  have  got  at  £10  the  preceding  fall,  provided  the 
money  had  been  then  paid.  For  example — ^you  could  have  got 
two  barrels  of  com  in  1778  for  XIO,  and  I  can  get  no  more  now 
for  j640.  With  respect  to  other  things  it  is  the  same.  It  would 
be  very  hard,  therefore,  by  keeping  me  out  of  the  use  of  the 


LETTERS   OF  WASHINGTON  AND   J.  P.  CUSTIS.  565 

money  a  year,  to  reduce  the  debt  three-fourths  of  the  original 
value — which  is  evidently  the  case,  because  the  difference  be- 
tween specie  and  paper,  in  the  fall  of  1778;  was  about  four  for 
one  only — now  the  difference  is  upwards  of  thirty,  consequently, 
ten  pounds  paid  at  that  period  was  equal  to  50s.  good  money ; 
but  paid  at  this  day,  is  not  worth,  nor  will  it  fetch  more  than  a 
dollar.  Had  the  money  been  paid  and  put  into  the  loan  office 
at  the  time  you  say  the  cattle  ought  to  have  been  valued,  I 
should  have  received  a  proportionate  interest — that  is,  as  the 
money  depreciated  the  nominal  sum  for  the  interest  would,  by  a 
resolve  of  Congress,  have  increased,  and  I  should  have  got  the 
real  value  in  the  interest ;  whereas,  if  you  pay  me  £10  in  loan- 
office  certificates  of  this  date  for  my  cattle,  I  shall  received  for 
every  XIO  or  50s.,  which  is  the  relative  worth  of  it,  according 
to  the  then  difference  of  exchange,  one  dollar  and  no  more. 

These  are  self-evident  truths ;  and  nothing,  in  my.  opinion,  is 
more  just  and  reasonable,  if  you  can  come  at,  and  do  fix  the 
value  of  the  cattle  at  what  they  were  worth  in  the  fall  of  1778, 
iand  would  then  have  been  appraised  at,  that  you  should  pay 
loan-office  certificates  of  that  date ;  for  had  you  paid  me  the  money 
at  that  time,  I  should  have  lent  it  to  the  public,  if  there  had 
been  no  other  use  for  it,  as  it  is  not  a  custom  with  me  to  keep 
'  money  to  look  at. 

This  reasoning  may,  in  part,  be  considered  as  an  answer  to  so 
much  of  your  letter  of  the  twelfth  of  December,  as  relates  to  the 
payment  of  the  annuity  for  the  dower-estate.  You  do  not  seem 
disposed  to  make  the  just  and  proper  distinction  between  real 
and  nominal  sums.  A  dollar  is  but  a  dollar,  whether  it  passes 
in  silver  at  6s.,  or  paper  at  J66,  or  sixty  pounds.  The  nominal 
value,  or  the  name,  is  but  an  empty  sound,  and  you  might  as  well 
attempt  to  pay  me  in  oak  leaves,  with  which  I  can  purchase 
nothing,  as  to  give  me  paper  money  that  has  not  a  relative  value 
to  the  rent  agreed  on. 

If  you  have  been  unfortunate  in  your  crops,  or  in  the  means  of 
raising  money  from  your  estate,  I  am  sorry  for  it,  and  do  not  by 
any  means  wish  to  put  you  to  an  inconveniency  in  paying  the 


666  APPENDIX. 

rent  at  this  time  which  became  due  the  first  of  this  month.  It 
may  lie  till  my  wants,  or  your  conv^ience  is  greater,  but  as  it 
was  certainly  the  expectation  of  us  both  that  this  annuity  was  to 
be  raised  and  paid  out  of  the  produce  of  your  crops,  a  moment's 
reflection  and  calculation  must  convince  you  that  it  is  fall  aa 
easy  to  do  it  at  this  day  (if  you  have  those  crops)  as  at  any 
period  before  or  since  the  war  began,  because  the  difference  be- 
tween the  old  and  present  prices  of  every  article  raised  upon  a 
plantation  or  farm,  bears  at  least  an  equal  proportion  to  the 
difference  between  specie  and  paper.  It  is  a  matter  of  little 
consequence  then,  whether  you  pay  £30  in  paper  or  20s.  in 
specie,  when  the  same  quantity  of  com,  wheat,  tobacco,  or  any 
other  article  you  possess  will  fetch  the  former  with  more  ease 
now,  than  it  would  the  latter  in  the  best  of  times. 

The  fact  is,  that  the  real  difference  between  the  prices  of  all  kinds 
of  country  produce  now  and  before  the  war,  is  greater  than  between 
specie  and  paper.  The  latter,  in  Philadelphia,  being  about  thirty, 
when  it  is  well  known  that  the  former,  in  many  things,  is  at 
least  a  hundred,  and  in  scarce  any  article  less  than  forty.  Wit- 
ness flour,  wheat,  Indian  corn,  &c.,  which  are  the  great  articles 
of  produce  of  every  Virginia  estate.  It  is  the  unusualness  of 
the  idea,  and  high  sound  which  alarms  you  in  this  business ;  for 
supposing  the  difference  to  be  thirty  prices,  and  in  consequence 
you  pay  ^£15,750, 1  neither  get  nor  do  you  pay  a  farthing  more 
that  £525,  because,  as  I  have  already  observed,  less  com,  wheat, 
&c.  will  enable  you  to  pay  the  former  now,  than  it  would  take 
to  pay  the  latter  while  they  were  at  their  old  and  accustomed 
prices— calling  the  sura,  therefore,  which  you  pay  to  me  £15,750 
or  £525,  is  a  matter  of  moonshine,  as  it  is  the  thing,  not  the 
name,  that  is  to  be  regarded. 

I  have  wrote  to  Mr.  Lund  Washington  concerning  Sheredine's 
point,  but  am  in  some  doubt  whether  the  strip  of  land  will  com- 
pensate the  expense  of  the  bank  which  must  be  lengthy.  I  have 
left  it  to  him,  however,  to  determine  this  matter,  and  to  apply 
for  the  ditchers  (who  were  about  to  leave  you)  if  he  should 
want  them.    If  your  banks  are  not  properly  executed,  it  is  to  be 


LETTERS  OF  WASHINGTON  AND  J.  P.  CUSTIS.  567 

{oared  you  will  find  more  plague  from  the  muskrats  and  other 
vermin  than  you  seem  to  apprehend,  when  the  warm  weather  re- 
toms. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  that  your  assembly  are  disposed  to  exert 
themselves  in  the  great  work  of  appreciation.  I  heartily  wish 
them  success  in  the  attempt.  We  have  nothing  new  in  this 
quarter.  The  weather  has  been,  and  now  is  intensely  cold,  and 
we  are  beginning  to  emerge  from  the  greatest  distress  on  account 
of  the  want  of  provisions. 

My  love  to  Nelly  and  the  children,  and  I  am  sincerely  and 
affectionately  yours, 

OSO.  WASmNOTON. 
JoHir  p.  CuBTiB,  Esq. 

[WABHIKOTOV  TO  CU8TI8.] 

PUKBKILL,  Augutt  6, 1780. 

Deab  Custis  :  Your  letter  of  the  26th  of  July  came  to  my  hands 
yesterday,  and  I  thank  you  for  the  account  given  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  assembly.  If  you  had  not  adopted  the  finance  scheme, 
I  should  have  thought  the  omission  unpardonable,  as  it  must,  in 
a  manner,  have  set  our  money  afloat  again,  when  every  measure 
which  human  policy  is  capable  of  devising  ought  to  be  adopted 
to  give  it  a  fixed  and  permanent  value.  I  much  fear  your  act 
for  raising  three  thousand  men  will  rather  fall  short  than  exceed 
that  number,  because  it  is  our  fortune  to  have  such  kind  of  laws 
(though  most  important)  badly  executed,  and  such  men  as  are 
raised  dissipated  and  lost  before  they  join  the  army.  Your 
scheme  for  association  I  must  approve ;  it  is  certainly  high  time 
to  retrench  in  all  kinds  of  extravagance,  and  to  adopt  the  most 
economical  plans,  that,  by  a  return  to  virtue,  we  may  be  the  bet- 
ter able  to  support  the  war  and  bring  it  to  a  happy  issue.*  In 
consequence  of  General  Clinton's  embarking  a  considerable  part 
of  the  force  at  New  York,  and  sailing  down  the  sound  for 
Rhode  Island,  I  put  my  troops  in  motion  and  crossed  at  King's 
ferry,  where,  assembling  my  whole  force,  was  determined  to 

*  Mr.  Custit  was  now  a  member  of  the  Yiiginta  house  of  bargesses. 


568  APPENDIX. 

make  a  vigorous  effort  to  possess  myself  of  the  city.  This 
brought  him  back  again,  and,  though  I  am  disappointed  by  it, 
has  answered  the  end  of  relief  to  the  French  troops  at  Rhode 
Island,  which  was  the  object  of  his  destination.  I  am  now,  for 
the  sake  of  shortening  our  transportation  of  proyisions  and 
forage,  recrossing  the  river,  and  shall  move  down  toward  Dobbs* 
ferry  till  our  reinforcements  (not  a  fourth  of  which  are  yet  come 
in)  arrive,  and  the  supplies  which  are  to  enable  us  to  commence 
the  operations  of  the  campaign. 

My  love  to  Nelly  and  the  children,  and  compliments  to  in- 
quiring friends.    I  am,  with  much  truth  and  sincerity. 
Your  affectionate  friend  and  servant, 

Geo.  Washington. 

[WASHINGTON  TO  CUSTIB.] 

Camp,  near  Dobbs'  ferrj,  Jtily  25, 1781. 

Dear  Custis  :  Your  letter  of  the  11th,  covering  certain  pro- 
posals which  were  made  by  you  to  Mr.  Robert  Alexander,  came 
safe  by  the  last  post.  I  read  the  letter  with  attention,  and,  as 
far  as  I  can  form  a  judgment  without  seeing  the  mortgage,  or 
having  recourse  to  the  original  agreement,  and  the  missives 
which  may  have  passed,  think  they  are  founded  on  principles  of 
liberality  and  justice. 

How  far  the  purchase  on  your  part,  and  the  sale  on  Alexan 
der's,  was  a  matter  of  speculation  at  the  time  of  bargaining, 
yourselves  and  the  nature  of  the  agreement  can  alone  determine 
If,  from  the  tenor  of  your  contract,  you  were  to  pay  paper 
money — if  this  paper  money  was  at  that  time  in  a  depreciated 
state,  and  the  difference  between  it  and  specie  fixed  and  proved 
—  and  if,  moreover,  Alexander,  like  many  others,  entertained 
an  opinion  that  it  would  again  appreciate,  so  as  that  a  paper 
dollar  would  be  of  equal  value  with  a  silver  one  —  it  might  be 
more  just  than  generous  (when  we  consider  that  paper  is,  in  fact, 
worth  little  or  nothing)  to  let  him  abide  the  consequences  of  his 
opinion  by  paying  him  in  depreciated  paper ;  because  the  pre- 
sumption is  that  he  would  have  made  no  allowance  for  apprecia- 


LETTERS   OF  WASHINGTON  AND   J.   P.   CUSTIS.  569 

tion,  though  the  former  should  be  of  equal  value  with  the  latter, 
pound  for  pound.  But  this,  as  I  have  before  observed,  depends 
upon  the  nature  of  the  bargain,  and  the  light  in  which  the  mat- 
ter was  understood  at  the  time  it  was  made  by  both  parties. 

If  the  bargain  was  unaccompanied  by  particular  circum- 
stances, and  had  no  explanatory  meaning,  but  simply  imported 
that  so  much  money  was  to  be  given  for  so  much  land,  to  be 
paid  on  or  before  a  certain  period,  it  is  certainly -optional  in  you 
to  discharge  it  at  any  time  you  please  short  of  that  period.  But 
I  conceive  that  this  can  only  be  done  by  an  actual  tender  of  the 
money,  and  that  there  is  no  legal  obligation  upon  Alexander  to 
take  your  bond  (with  any  security  whatever),  and  that  the  only 
chance  you  have  of  his  doing  it,  is  the  fear  of  losing  the  original 
debt,  or  the  interest  of  it,  by  refusing  the  tender  you  propose  to 
make  him  of  £48,000  at  this  time  ;  for  I  lay  it  down  as  a  maxim 
that  no  man  can  be  compelled  to  change  the  nature  of  his  debt, 
or  alter  the  security  of  it,  without  his  own  consent. 

I  have  before  said,  that,  for  want  of  the  mortgage,  or  a  better 
knowledge  of  all  the  circumstances  attending  your  bargain,  it  is 
impossible  for  me  to  give  a  decided  opinion.  Your  proposals 
appear  to  me  to  be  fair  and  equitable ;  but  what  views  Alexan- 
der may  have  had,  and  how  far  he  is  prepared  to  obtain  those 
views,  by  written  or  other  valid  proof,  I  am  unable  to  say.  As 
an  honest  man,  he  ought  to  be  content  with  justice,  and  justice  I 
think  you  have  offered  him. 

You  may  recollect  that  I  disliked  the  terms  of  your  bargain 
when  they  were  first  communicated  to  me,  and  wished  then  that 
you  might  not  find  them  perplexing  and  disadvantageous  in  the 
issue,  as  I  now  do,  that  you  may  settle  the  matter  with  honor 
and  satisfaction  to  yourself. 

It  gave  me  pain  to  hear  that  your  people  had  been  so  much 
afflicted  with  sickness,  and  that  you  thought  your  son  in  danger. 
It  would  give  me  equal  pleasure  to  learn  that  he  and  the  rest  of 
your  family  were  restored  to  perfect  health.  That  so  few  of  our 
countrymen  have  joined  the  enemy,  is  a  circumstance  as  pleasing 
to  me  as  it  must  be  mortifyingly  decisive  to  them  of  the  fallacy 


570  APPENDIX. 

of  their  assertion,  that  two-thirds  of  the  people  were  in  their 
interest,  and  ready  to  join  them  when  opportunity  offered.  Had 
this  been  the  case,  the  marquis's  forces,  and  the  other  one-third, 
must  have  abandoned  the  country.* 

I  am  much  pleased  with  your  choice  of  a  govemor.f  He  is 
an  honest  man  —  active,  spirited,  and  decided,  and  will,  I  am 
persuaded,  suit  the  times  as  well  as  any  person  in  the  state. 
You  were  lucky,  considering  the  route  by  which  the  enemy  re- 
treated to  Williamsburg,  to  sustain  so  little  damage.  I  am  of 
opinion  that  Lord  Cornwallis  will  establish  a  post  at  Portsmouth, 
detach  part  of  his  force  to  New  York,  and  go  with  the  residue 
to  South  Carolina. 

I  returned  yesterday  from  (with  Count  de  Bochambeau  and 
the  engineers  of  both  armies)  the  enemy's  work  near  Eing&- 
bridge ;  we  lay  close  by  them  two  days  and  a  night,  without  any 
attempt  on  their  part  to  prevent  it.  They  begun  and  continued 
a  random  kind  of  cannonade,  but  to  very  little  effect.  I  am 
waiting  impatiently  for  the  men  the  states  (this  way)  have  been 
called  upon  for,  that  I  may  determine  my  plan  and  commence 
my  operations. 

My  best  wishes  attend  Nelly  (who  I  hope  is  perfectly  recov- 
ered) and  the  little  girls.  My  compliments  await  inquiring 
friends,  and  I  am. 

Sincerely  and  affectionately,  yours, 

Geo.  Washinoton. 

Jno.  F.  Custib,  Esq. 

*  The  Marqais  de  Lafayette,  then  in  command  in  Virginia,  opposing  the  biTE- 
sion  of  Cornwallis. 
t  Thomas  Nelson. 


GENERAL   JAMES   IL   IINGAN.  671 


NOTE   II.-Paoe  61. 

GENERAL  JAMES  M.  LINGAN. 
A  FUNERAL  OBATION  BY  QEOBOE  WASHINGTON  PAREE  CUSTI8.* 

And  is  it  left  for  the  stranger,  my  friends,  to  speak  your 
Hero's  praise  ?  I  never  fed  at  his  board,  I  never  drank  of  his 
cup,  nor  did  the  cheering  smile  of  welcome,  ever  meet  me  at  his 

*  This  oratioD,  in  connection  with  an  account  of  the  faneral  solemnities  at  George- 
town, was  pablished  in  pamphlet  form  at  Washington  city,  soon  after  its  deliverj. 
The  explanatory  notes  accompanying  this  oration  were  written  by  the  editor  of  the 
pamphlet  at  the  period  of  its  publication ;  and,  though  deeply  infused  with  strong 
partisan  sentiments,  they  are  yalnable  at  this  time  as  illustrative  of  the  intense  excite- 
ment and  party  rancor  which  cnUpinated  in  the  political  mob  at  Baltimore,  in  which 
General  Lingan  and  others  lost  their  lires.  These  notes  were  originally  inserted  at 
the  end  of  the  oration ;  for  the  convenience  of  the  reader,  they  are  herein  given  at  the 
bottom  of  the  pages  to  which  they  have  reference. 

The  editor  in  his  preface  says  :  "  On  Tuesday  the  first  of  September,  1812,  funeral 
honors  were  paid  to  the  memory  of  General  Jambb  M.  Liitoak.  While  his  mangled 
body,  which  had  been  vowAiafed  by  his  murderers  to  one  mourning  relative  for  secret 
burial,  slept  in  some  obscure,  neglected  grave,  the  citizens  of  Columbia  and  part  of  the 
states  of  Maryland  and  Virginia,  impressed  with  a  just  admiration  of  his  worth,  con- 
vened at  Georgetown  to  perform  the  duteous  offices  of  piety  and  affection,  and  hallow 
the  memory  of  the  iUustrious  dead.  The  notice  of  the  projected  solemnities  had  barely 
extended  to  the  nearer  counties,  but  such  was  the  eagerness  testified,  wherever  the 
notice  reached,  to  do  honor  to  the  obsequies  of  the  departed  hero,  that,  had  it  ex- 
tended further,  we  may  fairly  believe  the  flanenl  train  would  have  been  worthy  of  an 
emperor.  So  numerous  were  the  mourners,  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  substi- 
tute for  a  church,  which  had  been  originally  selected,  a  shady  eminence  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  city." 

The  procession  moved  firom  the  Union  hotel  in  the  following  order :  "  Marshals 
on  horseback ;  four  doigymen  of  different  denominations ;  the  committee  of  arrange- 
ment; Mr.  Custis,  of  Arlington,  the  orator  of  the  day;  music;  Captain  StuU's  rifle 
corps,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Kurtz ;  the  hearse,  with  the  horses  clad  in  mourn- 
ing, and  eight  venerable  pall-bearers,  with  white  scarfii;  Mr.  Geoige  Lingan,  the 
generars  son,  as  chief  mourner;  the  general's  horse^jn  mourning,  led  by  a  groom ; 
lamily  and  relatives  of  the  deceased  in  coaches ;  the  wounded  veteran.  Major  Mns- 
grove,  who  survived  the  midnight  massacre  in  which  his  brother-soldier  fell,  bearing 
the  general's  sword,  and  supported  by  two  heroes  of  the  Revolution ;  Mr.  Hanson, 
and  other  survivors  of  the  band  who  defended  liberty  and  the  press ;  veteran  band 
of  the  Revolution ;  strangers  of  distinction ;  citizens  from  the  counties  of  Mont- 
gomery, Baltimore,  Frederick,  Charles,  Prince  George's,  and  St.  Marj's,  and  from 


572  APPENDIX. 

hospitable  threshold.  Sure  then,  no  partial  motives  can  influ- 
ence the  sentiments  which  I  am  about  to  utter.  Yet  as  the 
brave  man  who  fought  the  battles  of  my  country's  liberty,  is  to 

tho  cities  of  Georgetown,  Washington,  and  Alexandria ;  Captain  Peter's  troop  of 
horse,  commanded  bj  Lieatenant  John  S.  WiUiams ;  marshals  on  horseback. 

"  The  train  moved  to  the  music  of  a  faneral  dirge.  Daring  its  march  minate- 
guns  were  fired  from  the  first  ship  ever  built  in  Georgetown,  which  was  this  day 
decorated  with  mourning  flags,  and  named  The  General  Lingan.  Many  of  the  stores 
were  hung  with  black.  A  solemn  stillness  pervaded  the  streets.  When  the  proces- 
sion reached  the  ground,  the  troops  opened  to  receive  it.  Gray-headed  men,  who 
had  long  bid  adieu  to  the  bustle  of  public  life,  and  whose  pursuits,  with  their  years, 
had  '  dwindled  to  a  narrow  span,'  ennobled  with  their  presence  this  interesting  scene. 
The  effects  produced  by  the  appearance  of  the  military  —  of  the  aged  Revolutionary 
heroes,  who  came  from  all  quarters  to  mourn  for  their  departed  brother-in  arms  — 
of  the  weeping  family  of  the  deceased  —  and  of  those  who,  though  covered  with 
wounds,  survived  the  tremendous  massacre  in  which  Lingan  fell,  was  indescribable. 

"  We  do  not  regret  that  circumstances  rendered  it  necessary  to  perform  the  cere- 
monies in  tho  open  air.  The  platform  overhung  by  lofty  oaks,  among  whose 
branches  the  venerable  tent  of  Washington  —  'The  Pretorium  of  Virtue,'  —  was 
suspended  for  a  canopy,  exhibited  a  patriarch ial  simplicity  which  carried  back  the 
mind  to  the  earlier  ages  of  the  world.  Here  sat  clergymen  of  different  denomina- 
tions, officers  of  the  procession,  and  the  orator  of  the  day.  Immediately  around  it 
were  placed  the  veteran  band  of  tho  Revolution.  The  venerable  Major  Musgrove, 
pale  and  disfigured  by  wounds  received  in  the  massacre,  took  the  centre,  supported 
by  Colonel  Stuart  and  Major  Stoddart,  who  had  shed  their  best  blood  and  devoted 
their  best  days  in  tho  battles  of  their  country.  The  front  benches  were  occupied  by 
the  family  of  Lingan,  together  with  Mr.  Hanson  and  surviving  members  of  the  band 
who  had  gallantly  defended  tho  rights  of  freemen  and  the  liberty  of  the  press.  Near 
them,  shaded  by  trees,  an  immense  and  brilliant  assemblage  of  ladles  and  gentlemen 
from  all  parts  of  the  adjacent  country.  The  ceremonies  commenced  with  introduce 
tory  prayers  from  the  Reverend  Mr.  Addison,  and  concluded  with  appropriate  pray- 
ers from  the  Reverend  Mr.  Balch.  The  oration  of  Mr.  Custis  was  extemporaneous. 
It  riveted  the  attention  of  the  audience ;  the  solemn  stillness  which  reigned  was  only 
interrupted  by  sighs  and  tears." 

The  tent  of  Washington  that  overhang  the  platform,  was  at  that  time  "  in  good 
preservation,  though  bearing  the  marks  of  six-and-thirty  yeara'  service.  It  should 
be  remembered  that  the  same  canvass  which  now  enjoys  the  calm,  braved  the  storms 
of  the  Revolution,  from  the  disastrous  battle  of  Long  island,  to  the  glorious  victory 
of  Yorktown  —  that  within  this  tent,  the  captured  Comwallis  sarrendered  the  sword 
which  had  wasted  America,  and  became  a  guest  where  he  had  expected  to  have  been 
a  conqueror." 

"  The  venerable  and  pious  widow  of  the  general,  from  a  special  request  of  Mr. 
Custis,  had  arrived  at  Greorgetown  to  attend  the  obsequies  of  her  martyred  husband. 
On  the  morning  of  the  first  of  September,  a  ruffian  paraded,  as  if  to  inaalt  the  sor- 
rows of  this  excellent  lady,  before  the  hotel,  with  a  bloody  spear  and  military  cap 
stained  with  blood,  and  inscribed,  '  Federal  Republican.'  Mrs.  Lingan,  who  had 
hitherto  borne  up  against  her  griefs,  now  dissolved  in  tears,  and  became  so  over- 
powered as  to  be  unable  to  leave  the  hotel,  althoagh  many  ladies  offered  to  support 
her  in  tho  train.    All  her  family,  however,  attended. 

"  Toward  the  base  and  unmanly  insults  offered  on  this  day  of  mooming,  federal- 


GENERAL   JAMES   M.   LINGAN.  573 

bo  the  subject  of  my  praise ;  as  the  illustrious  citizen  who  died 
in  defence  of  one  of  the  dearest  rights  which  freemen  can  boast, 
is  to  be  the  hero  of  my  tale ;  I  can  only  say,  my  friends,  that 
were  my  powers  commensurate  with  my  zeal,  I  would  hope  on 
this  day  to  do  honor  to  his  memory. 

By  what  standard  of  patriotism  shall  we  try  your  Lingan  ? 
Shall  w«  try  him  by  the  standard  of  modem  patriots ;  mushrooms 
of  yesterday,  who  have  grown  up  from  the  soil,  first  fattened  by 
the  blood  of  heroes  ?  or  rather,  shall  wo  try  him  by  the  illus- 
trious standard  of  'seventy-six  ?  Look  to  the  mighty  period 
which  tried  men's  souls ;  look  into  the  embattled  ranks  of  liber- 
ty's host,  and  there  will  you  find  your  Lingan !  Witness  the 
dreadful  combat  of  Long  Island,  where  the  famous  Maryland 
regiment,  after  bearing  the  brunt  of  the  day,  were  nearly  anni- 
hilated and  cut  to  pieces.  Again  behold  him  at  the  storming  of 
Port  Washington,  and  then  you  may  change  the  scene.*    You 

ists,  with  calm  dignity,  declared,  '  Our  work,  is  the  work  of  pietr  and  peace ;  but  i  f 
a  dagger  is  raised  against  as,  there  are  men,  and  godd  men  enough  here,  to  walk 
over  the  body  of  the  assassin/  When  told  that  bayonets  were  glittering  in  their 
neighborhood,  it  was  observed,  '  We  are  going  to  the  tent  of  Washington  —  let  it  bo 
the  winding-sheet  of  his  children  I' " 

"  Colonel  Philip  Stnart  of  Charles,"  who  occupied  a  seat  on  the  platform  beside 
Major  Musgrove,  was  "  the  gallant  officer  who  led  the  forlorn  hope  of  Washington's 
horse  in  the  memorable  battle  of  the  Eutaws.  The  order  came  from  Greene  to 
break  the  British  lino.  Stnart,  with  only  sixteen  men,  advanced  to  obey  the  gen- 
eral's command,  and  fell,  covered  with  wounds,  almost  within  his  enemies,  ranks. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Washington  too,  pressing  on,  fell  under  his  dying  charger,  and 
was  made  prisoner  of  war. 

"  On  the  day  of  the  oration.  Colonel  Stnart,  Major  Stoddard,  and  others  of  the 
yeteran  Revolutionary  band,  were  placed  very  near  the  orator.  In  Stnart  it  was 
plainly  to  be  perceived  that  the  firmness  of  the  hero  was  straggling  with  the  feelings 
of  the  man,  till  at  length  the  hero  surrendered ;  and  the  manly  tear  '  which  filled  the 
farrow  in  the  veteran's  cheek,'  proclaimed  the  triumph  of  virtuous  sympathy. 

"In  the  course  of  the  day  Colonel  Stuart  observed  to  Mr.  Custis —' After  the 
sufferings  which  I  have  borne  in  my  country's  cause,  I  never  expected  to  have  wept 
again,  but  this  mighty  day  has  quite  unmanned  me.'  Americans  1  sure  virtue  tri- 
umphs when  the  brave  man  weeps  1" 

*  It  is  uncertain  whether  General  Lingan  belonged  to  Smallwood's  or  Rawling's 
regiments.  The  first  was  raised  exclusively  in  Maryland,  consisted  of  the  flower  of 
her  youth,  and  might  be  compared  with  Csssar's  Tenth  Legion.  Though  over- 
powered by  superior  numbers,  these  heroes  disdained  to  fly,  and  were  nearly  anni- 
hilated on  the  memorable  twenty-seventh  of  August,  '76.  Rawling's  rifle  regiment, 
raised  partly  in  Maryland  and  partly  in  Virginia,  opposed  the  Hessians  at  tlie  storm- 
ing of  Fort  Washington,  and  with  unerring  weapons  did  great  execution.    Lingan, 


574  APPENDIX. 

have  yet  only  viewed  your  friend,  the  gallant  soldier  in  the  tented 
field.  You  must  now  behold  him  the  wretched  prisoner  in  the 
dungeons  of  the  prison-ship!*  There  while  listening  to  the 
groans  of  expiring  humanity ;  there  while  beholding  his  brave 
brethren  dying  by  inches  in  all  the  horrors  of  captivity  and 
want,  well  might  your  Lingan  say — ^^  Sweet,  0  my  country ! 
should  be  thy  liberties,  when  they  are  purchased  at  this  mon- 
strous price  !"t 

Yes,  my  friends,  of  that  very  prison-ship  was  your  Lingan  a 
sufferer,  which,  even  at  this  late  time  of  day,  excites  the  wannest 
sensibilities  in  the  American  bosom.  You  have  seen  our  breth* 
ren  perform  a  pious  pilgrimage  to  the  spot  where  the  victims 
were  slain  —  you  have  seen  them  rake  up  the  bones  which 
six-and-thirty  years  had  bleached,  and  inter  them  with  all  the 
pomp  and  solemnity  of  woe.|  Ay,  and  I  trust  that  my  country 
will  yet  find  a  tear  to  hallow  the  memory  of  the  brave  old  man. 


at  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  finding  his  corps  giving  waj,  displayed  the  noblest 
intrepidity  and  finally  sacoeedod  in  bringing  them  to  the  chai^ 

*  The  horrors  of  the  prison-ship  need  not  be  told  at  this  time  of  day.  It  was  in- 
deed "  the  bonme  from  whence  "  scarce  "  traveller  returned."  Lingan,  with  many 
of  his  brave  associates-in-arros,  were  removed  to  the  Jeney  shortly  after  the  snrrender 
of  Fort  Washington.  Faint  from  his  wounds,  and  almost  perishing  onder  the  mag>- 
nitnde  of  his  many  sufferings,  the  generous  soldier  yet  felt  fbr  others ;  and  when,  on 
the  death  of  one  of  his  companions  a  coffin  being  brought  which  proved  too  short* 
the  guard  proposed  to  cut  off  the  head  of  the  deceased  and  put  it  in  with  the  body, 
Lingan,  fired  at  the  indignity  offered  to  a  deceased  fiaUow-prisoner,  rose  from  his 
couch  of  pain,  and  laying  his  hand  upon  the  lifeless  corpse  of  the  departed  soldier, 
swore  he  would  destroy  the  first  man  who  dared  to  mutilate  the  body  of  his  friend. 

t  The  venerable  relict  of  Lingan  has  often  said,  since  his  lamented  death-—"  Lin- 
gan loved  liberty.  He  would  often  point  to  the  picture  of  the  benign  goddess  of 
freedom  which  adorns  his  house,  and  in  admiring  the  shadow  would  remember  die 
sufferings  which  he  had  borne  to  procure  the  substance.  He  considered  liberty  as 
his  child,  and  in  fighting  for  liberty,  felt  as  if  he  fought  in  defence  of  his  own  off- 
spring." 

X  In  New  York,  three  or  four  years  since,  the  bones  of  thousands  of  Americans 
who  had  perished  on  board  the  Jersey  prison-ship,  were  coUected  from  the  beach ; 
appropriate  orations  were  delivered,  and  the  bones  were  attended  to  a  previously 
prepared  monument  by  an  immense  procession.  The  health  of  Lingan,  one  of  the 
few  who  survived  these  unfortunate  soldiers,  was  so  much  injured  by  his  sufi^rings 
on  board  the  Jersey,  that  he  was  reduced  by  a  dreadful  rheumatism  for  many  months 
subsequent  to  a  stHte  of  entiro  helplessness.  And  yet,  the  very  party  by  which  Lin* 
gan  is  now  called  a  *'  Tory,'  erected  a  monument  and  proclaimed  the  virtues  of  his 
companions  in  persecution.    "  Tempora  mutaniur  et  noa  mutamMr  m  iUis," 


GENERAL   JAMES  M.   UNOAN.  575 

who  died  in  defence  of  one  of  the  dearest  rights  those  immortal 
sofferings  have  procnred ! 

When  the  war  had  ended,  your  Lingan  retired  to  the  shades 
of  domestic  life ;  happy  in  the  conscientious  reflection,  that  his  ser- 
vices and  sufferings  had  contributed  to  rear  the  temple  of  rational 
freedom,  to  found  the  glorious  empire  of  laws.  There,  in  the 
relative  duties  of  a  father,  a  master,  a  neighbor,  and  a  friend, 
was  the  gallant  veteran  most  nobly  distinguished.  Say,  ye  who 
best  can  tell,  was  he  not  the  kind  indulgent  parent  ?  the  good  hus- 
band? the  faithful  friend?  the  upright  honorable  man?  "If 
there  be  any  one  in  this  assembly  who  will  deny  this  praise,  now 
let  him  speak,  for  him  have  I  offended ;"  and  if  it  were  farther 
necessary  to  inquire  into  the  merits  of  this  excellent  man,  know 
that  they  were  stamped  with  a  seal  which  bore  the  name  of 
Washington  t  Yes,  my  friends,  your  Lingan  and  your  Williams 
were  each  appointed  in  the  early  formation  of  the  government, 
to  offices  of  honor  and  trust,  by  that  immortal  chief,  whose  unerr- 
ing judgment  was  never  deceived,  when  the  soldier  was  the  ob- 
ject !*  Williams,  did  I  say  7  the  gallant,  gay  Williams  of  Guild- 
ford and  the  Eutaws  ?  Peace  be  to  his  ashes !  hapjijy  that  he  is 
gone !  for  sure  it  would  have  rent  his  manly  heart  to  have  wit- 
nessed the  melancholy  end  of  his  old  brother-soldier !  f 

It  has  been  said  by  some,  my  friends,  and  supposed  by  others, 
that  the  venerable  Lingan  was  induced  to  engage  in  the  enter- 
prise which  terminated  his  life,  by  the  arts  and  intrigues  of  de- 


*  In  the  earljT  periods  of  the  government,  offlcee  were  not  only  few  in  number, 
bat  smaU  in  valae.  The  collectorship  of  such  a  port  as  Georgetown,  was  bestowed 
npon  Lingan,  not  as  a  mean  of  extensiye  emolument,  but  as  a  testimonial  of  due 
remembrance  and  consideration. 

t  General  Otho  Holland  Williams.— This  distinguished  soldier  was  not  more 
remarkable  for  his  heroism  in  the  field  than  for  his  elegant  and  manly  aooomplish- 
menu.  Williams  was  taken  with  Lingan  at  Fort  Washington,  and,  though  wound- 
ed, was  carried  as  a  spectacle  about  the  streets  of  New  York  by  the  tones,  for  the 
special  amusement  of  his  majesty's  loyal  subjects,  and  then  consigned  to  the  miseries 
of  the  prison-ship.  Strange,  that  six-and-thirty  years  after,  his  venerable  companion, 
grown  gray  in  the  same  conntrjr's  service,  should,  for  defending  "  the  very  liberties" 
those  mighty  sufferings  had  procnred,  be  martyred  with  every  species  of  horrific 
cruelty,  and  his  aged  body  left,  dishonored,  on  the  cold  ground,  to  glut  the  ven- 
geance of  exclusive  republicans  1 


576  APPENDIX. 

signing  men,  contrary  to  the  dictates  of  his  better  judgment.  In 
the  face  of  his  family,  his  country,  and  the  world,  I  deny  the 
assertion !  No,  my  friends,  the  whole  heart  of  the  yeteran  was 
in  this  thing.  He  had  seen  the  laws  of  his  country  prostrated  at 
the  feet  of  tyrannic  power,  and  the  liberty  of  the  press  violated, 
and  usurped !  And  when  he  saw  a  band  of  youth  prepare  to 
defend  their  rights,  or  perish  in  the  breach,  the  soul  of  the  vete- 
ran rejoiced. — "  I  admire  these  boys,"  he  said,  "  their  heroic 
ardor  reminds  me  of  my  other  days — I  will  join  their  gallant 
calling  —  age  and  experience  will  be  useful  to  temper  their  valor, 
to  moderate  their  zeal,  to  direct  their  energies.  I  will  be  the 
Nestor  to  the  young  Achilles." 

When,  after  a  brave  defence,  our  brethren  had  laid  down  their 
arms,  and  submitted  to  the  constituted  authorities  of  their  coun- 
try, mercy  and  generosity  should  have  been  shown  to  submission. 
They  are  the  privileges  of  the  brave,  in  every  age  and  condition 
of  society. 

Who  were  these  prisoners  ?  Were  they  the  rakings  of  ken- 
nels ;  were  their  shoes  yet  new,  since  they  landed  on  our  shores  V 

*  Major-gcnejal  Henry  Lee  commanded  the  partj.  Lee,  at  the  earlj  age  of 
nineteen,  was  devoted  to  liberty  in  liberty's  battles.  Greene  considered  htm  as  a 
man  whom  nature  had  formed  for  war ;  and  his  achievements  as  commander  of  the 
partisan  corps  in  the  soathom  army,  were  eminent  and  deserving.  Since  the 
Revolation  he  has  filled  high  civil  and  military  stations.  He  has  distingaished  him- 
self as  governor  of  the  state  of  Virginia,  and  as  a  member  of  the  national  legis^ 
lature.  His  misfortunes  are  those  of  the  man,  while  his  public  services  derive  a 
lustre  from  his  public  integrity. 

The  grandfather  of  Mr.  Hanson,  was  appointed  by  the  Maryland  legislature  a 
member  of  the  Revolutionary  Congress,  and  afterward  became  president  of  Congress, 
then  the  first  magistrate  of  the  country ;  being  the  third  elected  under  the  old  con- 
federation. Mr.  Hanson's  father  was  high  in  the  confidence  of  Washington,  resided 
a  long  time  in  his  family,  was  for  several  years  his  private  secretary,  and  was  after- 
ward chosen  by  the  general  as  one  of  his  aids ;  but  sickness  prevented  him  from 
accepting  the  offer,  although  the  place  was  several  months  kept  open  for  him. 
When  the  war  ended,  the  father  of  Mr.  Hanson  was  appointed  judge  of  the  general 
court,  and  afterward  chancellor  of  Maryland,  which  situation  he  retained  until  his 
decease.  The  father  of  Dr.  Warfield  was  the  first  citizen  of  Maryland  who  openly 
proposed  a  separation  from  the  parent-country.  He  also  directed  the  celebrated 
burning  of  the  tea  in  1775,  at  Annapolis.  Captain  R.  I.  Crabb  is  the  son  of  Gene- 
ral Crabb,  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  Revolution.  The  other  gentlemen  arc  worthr 
to  be  ranked  with  the  patrician  youth  of  ancient  republics.  They  are  men  of  the 
first  respectability ;  and  two  of  them  have  recently  been  proposed  as  candidates  for 
the  Maryland  legislature. 


GENERAL  JAMES  M.   LINQAN.  577 

or  were  they  sons  of  the  sires,  who  had  fought  the  battles,  and 
labored  in  the  councils  of  their  country's  glory ;  generous  scions, 
sprang  from  the  oak  which  had  borne  the  hardest  blasts  of 
liberty's  storm ;  yeomen  of  our  land,  who  had  grown  up  with  the 
growth,  and  with  the  strength  of  freedom  ?  Their  cause  was 
holy.  They  knew  they  had  done  no  wrong — for  people  of  Amer- 
ica remember  that  when  the  laws  of  a  community  can  no  longer 
protect  the  citizen,  the  great  law  of  nature  commands  him  to 
protect  himself!  Yet,  that  the  ends  of  justice  might  be  sub- 
senred — that  their  accusers  might  obtain  the  full  measure  of  jus- 
tice denied  to  them ;  these  gallant  heroes,  consented  to  be  car- 
ried, like  malefactors,  to  the  prison-house !  There  they  received 
the  most  solemn  assurances,  which  honor  and  religion  could  give, 
of  perfect  safety  and  protection.  Who  will  then  believe,  that  in 
a  few  short  hours,  the  asylum  of  justice — the  asylum  in  which 
even  the  condemned  criminal  is  safe — should  be  converted  into 
the  chamber  of  death ! 

Hide,  hide  my  country,  thy  diminished  head !  Thou,  an  em- 
pire of  laws,  and  yet  this  monstrous  outrage  within  thy  bosom ! 
Thou,  the  seat  of  justice,  and  yet  the  asylum  of  justice  with  in- 
nocent blood  profaned  !*  The  weeping  genius  of  my  country, 
seeks  to  draw  a  veil  before  the  dreadful  spectacle,  but  an  higher 
power  commands  that  no  veil  shall  screen  this  work  of  darkness 
from  the  light  of  truth ! 

The  murder  of  prisoners !  Why  'tis  abhorrent  to  nature — my 
soul  sickens  at  the  thought.  Sure  such  hideous  sin  was  once 
foreign  to  the  American  character !  Say,  ye  gray-headed  men, 
veterans  of  liberty,  and  fathers  of  my  country,  when  was  the 
time,  during  our  arduous  struggle,  that  the  soldier  of  freedom 

*  It  U  the  standard  principle  of  onr  common  law  that  a  roan  is  always  innocent 
till  he  is  proved  to  be  gailtj.  When  the  prison-hoase  is  forced,  and  even  those  who 
are  indicted  for  the  grossest  crimes,  slaughtered  without  trial  or  condemnation,  maj 
not  the  asylum  of  justice  be  said  to  be  **  profaned  with  innocent  blood  V*  But  in 
the  present  case  there  was  no  indictment,  not  even  a  commitment !  All  parties 
acknowledge  that  the  Spartan  band  were  conveyed  to  prison  for  "  snfety,"  not  as 
prisoners,  but  guests  of  those  who  induced  them  to  surrender.  Some  hours  after 
their  arrival  a  commitment  was  informally  procured,  and  they  were  detained  con- 
trary not  only  to  the  rules  of  law,  but  the  laws  of  hospitality. 

37 


578  AFPsi!a>ix. 

stained  his  laurels  with  his  prisoner's  blood !  While  storming 
the  redoubts  at  Yorktown,  the  cry  of  the  soldiers  was,  "  Re- 
member New  London ;"  yet,  no  sooner  had  the  foe  submitted, 
than  mercy,  divine  mercy,  sat  triumphant  on  my  country's 
colors  —  Ay,  my  friends,  Hamilton  and  Laurens  commanded 
then  !• 

The  murder  of  prisoners!  Even  sanguinary  France  now 
cowers  to  our  superior  genius  in  iniquity.  She  is  no  longer 
supreme  in  sin.  If  we  contemplate  the  tremendous  scenes  of  her 
revolution,  so  widely  different  is  the  state  of  our  society,  they 
appear  but  as  Christmas  gambols  to  this  hellish  tragedy .f  There 
the  tiger  had  long  been  confined  within  the  bars  of  oppression. 
For  centuries  had  he  gnawed  his  galling  chain,  and  thirsted  for 
the  blood  of  his  oppressors ;  but  here,  in  the  mild  land  of  liberty, 
in  the  wise  and  good  government,  whose  laws  provide  the  punish- 
ment of  crimes,  great  indeed  must  be  that  injury  which  requires 
an  extra  vengeance ! 

The  murder  of  prisoners !  'Tis  true,  Napoleon,  the  chosen 
monster  of  crime,  first  set  this  horrid  example  at  Jaffa ;  but  even 
under  his  authority,  the  poor  victims,  met  a  speedy  and  merciful 
death !    The  battalion,  which  was  drawn  up  against  them,  soon 

*  When  the  garrison  at  New  London  had  surrendered  to  the  British  troops,  the 
^lant  Colonel  Ledyard  presented  his  sword,  according  to  custom,  to  the  victorioos 
commander,  who  inhumanly  returned  it  through  his  captive's  body.  This  was  the 
signal  for  general  massacre,. and  many  of  our  soldiers  who  had  surrendered  as  pris- 
oners of  war  were  immediately  bayoneted  on  the  spot  When  victory  next  leaned 
to  the  American  side,  orders  were  given  by  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette  to  retaliate 
this  cruelty,  and  the  American  soldiers  mounted  the  redoubts  of  Torktown  shooting, 
"  Remember  New  London."  Hamilton  commanded  in  the  light-infantry.  Lieut- 
colonel  Laurens,  the  Bayard  of  the  age,  personally  took  Major  Smith,  the  English 
commandant,  a  prisoner  of  war.  The  conquered  Britons  momently  expected  the 
exterminating  bayonet  Our  countrymen,  flushed  with  triumph,  pressed  on,  while 
their  trembling  victims  fell  in  despair  and  agony  at  their  feet.  The  youthful  chiefs 
threw  themselves  between  the  vanquished  and  destruction.  The  victors  were 
ordered  to  spare  the  prostrate  enemy.  Hamilton  and  Laurens,  bred  in  the  tent  of 
Washington,  disdained  the  savage  privilege  of  destroying  a  defenceless  foe,  and 
showed  to  their  country  and  an  admiring  world,  that  mercy  is  the  noblest  attribute 
of  the  brave ! 

t  At  the  time  of  the  French  revolutionary  massacres,  Fhince  had,  in  fact,  no 
government ;  one  day  a  faction  wielding  the  power ;  the  next  day  cut  off,  and  an- 
other succeeding.  But  even  in  this  horrible  state  of  society,  though  death  speedily 
overtook  the  proscribed,  promises  of  protection  were  still  held  sacred.  * 


GENERAL  JAMES  M.  UNQAN.  579 

put  a  period  to  their  sufferings  \jy  an  immediate  passport  to 
eternity. 

The  murder  of  prisoners!  Even  when  the  Indian  savage  a 
prisoner  takes,  if  he  promises  him  protection,  the  poor  captive  is 
safe.*  Nay,  go  further.  Look  to  the  Arab  robber  of  the  desert. 
When  he  meets  the  wandering  pilgrim  in  the  sands,  if  he  con- 
ducts him  within  his  tent,  the  robber  will  die  at  its  door  in  de- 
fence of  his  guest  If  Such  are  the  examples  of  mercy,  fidelity 
and  honor  which  adorn  even  the  savage  life ;  and  yet,  my  coun- 
trymen, it  has  been  left  to  the  enlightened  republic  of  America, 
to  show  more  horrid  examples  of  cruelty  than  ever  distinguished 
the  inquisition  or  the  rack. 

Let  us  attend  the  venerable  Lingan  in  the  last  moments  of  his 
life.  When  he  found  the  inevitable  fate  which  awaited  him,  that 
fortitude  which  had  distinguished  the  gallant  veteran  in  the  dire* 
ful  fields  of  the  Revolution,  while  fighting  for  the  liberties  of  his 
country,  did  not  desert  him  in  the  closing  hour.  And  yet,  sure 
he  thought,  that  if  Americans  were  his  foes,  the  sight  of  his 
venerable  figure,  bent  with  age,  must  touch  their  hearts !  Ah, 
Lingan !  thou  hadst  indeed  survived  thy  country's  better  days. 
There  was  a  time  when  thy  venerable  presence  would  have  ar- 
rested the  falling  dagger,  had  it  been  grasped  by  an  American 
hand !  What  did  I  say  ?  Sure  there  was  a  time  when  a  thou- 
sand sabres  would  have  gleamed  to  defend  the  gray  head  of  an 
l^;ed  soldier,  sinking  at  the  feet  of  an  assassin  !|  Alas !  those 
days  are  gone !  The  glory  of  my  country  hath  sunk  into  the 
grave  of  her  chief! 

Attend  the  closing  scene.  The  old  man  falls;  yet  feebly 
raising  his  wounded  head,  on  which  threescore  winters  had  shed 

*  This  is  notorioas.  The  Indian  never  betrays  after  promising  protection.  His 
offered  hand  contains  his  plighted  honor. 

t  Pilgrims,  and  even  carayans,  have  been  known  to  seek  the  protection  of  pro- 
ilessed  robbers  in  the  desert,  and  never  have  had  canse  to  repent  their  confidence 
even  in  a  robber's  word. 

X  Tes !  before  America  (who,  in  opening  her  arms  to  afford  an  asylum  to  suffer- 
ing humanity,  hath  opened  them  too  wide)  became  gorged  with  filth  from  all  the 
kennels  in  Europe !  The  ancient  republics  were  corrupted  by  the  extraneous  streams 
which  brought  pollution  to  the  pure  fountain  of  their  liberties. 


580  APPENDIX. 

their  snows,  he  appeals  to  his  murderers — ^^  Spare  the  old  mail, 
whose  years  are  few  to  live !  Spare  the  father,  whose  orphans 
will  want!  Spare  the  old  soldier,  whose  faithful  services,  and 
whose  hard  sufferings  have  earned  his  country's  liberties  I  Spare  I 
Here,  as  if  it  were  necessary  to  cap  the  climax  of  horror,  to 
render  the  catastrophe  of  hell  complete — know,  Americans,  that 
James  Lingan,  the  soldier  of  your  Washington,  the  patriot,  the 
hero,  and  the  friend ;  the  man  of  charity  who  felt  for  others* 
woes ;  the  noble  example  to  youth ;  the  man  of  virtue,  religion, 
and  honor,  with  the  foul  epithet  of  "  Tory,"  ringing  in  his  ears 
— expired.!  The  defender  of  liberty  disgraced  by  the  epithet  of 
"  Tory  ?"    "  That  was  the  unkindest  cut  of  all ! " 

Are  there  men  in  this  assembly  who  can  feel !  Now  let  them 
feel! 

0,  Maryland!  Would  that  the  waters  of  thy  Chesapeake 
could  wash  this  foul  stain  from  thy  character.  O,  Maryland ! 
Would  that  the  recording  angel  who  carries  thy  black  deed  to 
heaven's  chancery  on  high,  could  drop  a  tear  upon  it,  and  blot  it 
out  for  ever !  But  no !  A  voice  ciies  from  the  tomb  of  the 
brave.  It  rises  to  the  Ood  of  nature  and  humanity,  and  demands 
a  vengeance  on  the  murderer ! 

Can  Montgomery  boast  no  band  of  youthful  patriots,  who  wOl 
redeem  the  remains  of  their  venerable  friend,  and  give  them  the 
rights  of  sepulture  near  his  own  home?*  Sure  it  would  soothe 
the  widow's  sorrowing  heart — sure  it  would  soothe  the  orphans' 
woes !  Then  go — perform  the  pious  task,  and  the  applause  of 
all  good  men  speed  you  on  your  way  !  Mark  well  my  words. 
'Tis  not  that  I  would  sharpen  your  swords  to  vengeance  —  ven- 
geance belongs  to  the  laws ;  but  I  would  open  your  hearts  to 
gratitude  —  gratitude  belongs  to  man ! 

Shade  of  the  venerable  Lingan !   Farewell !    Accept  the  feeble 

*  The  mangled  body  of  Lingan  was  exposed  on  the  bore  earth  until  noon  on  the 
day  following  the  mnrder,  and  then,  with  difficulty,  obtained  by  a  relative  for  secret 
banal.  It  now  "sleeps  in  some  obscnre,  neglected  grave,"  in  Baltimore.  Would 
not  the  yonth  of  Montgomery,  the  county  of  Lingan*s  former  residence,  perform  a 
pious  office  in  transferring  the  remains  of  their  venerable  friend  to  the  eepnlcbre  of 
his  fathers  ? 


GENERAL  JAMES  M.  UNOAN.  581 

tribate  of  a  stranger's  praise ;.  although  thy  sun  hath  snnk  in  the 
horizon,  still,  its  last  parting  gleam  sheds  a  benign  lustre  on  thy 
fame.  The  laurel  that  covers  thy  hoary  head,  old  man !  shall 
ever  bloom  with  youthful  verdure !  Thy  illustrious  services  in 
liberty's  cause,  shall  rear  for  thee  a  cenotaph  in  each  freeman's 
Bosom,  while  thy  endearing  virtues  will  cai|se  the  ready  tear  of 
aflfection  to  freshen  the  turf  on  thy  humble  grave ! 

Soldier  of  my  country !    Defender  of  her  liberties !    Farewell ! 

Permit  me,  my  friends,  to  offer  you  a  few  remarks,  on  the  pre- 
sent state  of  our  republic.  People  of  America !  The  liberty  of 
the  press  is  one  of  the  noblest  rights  a  freeman  can  boast.  When 
the  right  of  opinion,  the  liberty  of  speech,  and  the  liberty  of  the 
press,  are  prostrated  at  the  feet  of  lawless  power,  the  citadel  of 
of  freedom  must  soon  surrender.  Tes,  my  friends,  and  that 
power  which  destroys  these  attributes  of  liberty,  is  the  pioneer 
which  precedes  the  march  of  despotism ! 

I  well  remember  the  good  old  federal  times,  when  the  Father 
of  his  Country,  blest  with  his  virtues  our  rising  empire.  Then 
was  the  majesty  of  the  laws  supreme ;  then  was  the  liberty  of  the 
press  inviolate ;  and  sure,  if  ever  there  was  a  time,  when  its 
licentiousness  required  a  curb,  it  was,  when  its  slanders  were 
aimed  at  the  reputation  of  the  first  of  men !  The  modern  Archi- 
medes of  malice  and  ambition  had  upreared  his  mighty  engines 
of  calumny,  to  assail  our  chieftain's  virtue  !*  But  the  great,  the 
god-like  Washington,  had  only  to  oppose  the  aegis  of  his  integrity, 
and  their  shafts  fell  harmless  to  the  ground-f 

*  Tho  first  engines  of  calnmny  levelled  against  the  chief  were  reared  in  the  press 
of  Philip  Frencau,  then  a  clerk  in  the  department  of  state.  They  received  great  im- 
provement from  the  scientific  labors  of  Bache  and  his  principal  engineer,  Duane, 
and  were  brought  to  perfection  bj  James  T.  Callender,  who  betraying  his  employers 
the  machines  have  since  faUen  into  common  hands. 

t  Among  the  monstroas  calumnies  circulated  at  that  time,  certain  letters,  said  to 
have  been  written  during  the  Revolution  and  addressed  by  the  general  to  members 
of  his  own  family,  were  published  under  pretence  of  their  having  been  taken  with 
the  baggage  and  servant  of  the  commander-in-chief  at  Fort  Lee,  in  1776.  These 
letters  contained  sentiments  unfriendly  to  the  cause  of  liberty.  The  forgery  was 
apparent  to  all  those  who  had  served  in  the  war,  since  it  was  notorious  that  the 
servant  and  baggage  of  the  commander-in-chief  were  never  taken.  Washington 
disdained  to  notice  these  incendiary  attacks  during  his  term  of  chief  magistracy,  but 


582  APPENDIX. 

Yes,  people  of  America !  and  wretched  indeed  is  that  man's 
cause,  which  can  not  be  defended  by  his  integrity ! 

Why  are  federalists  a  persecuted  race  ?  Must  they  leave  their 
Egypt,  and  under  the  conduct  of  another  Moses,  seek  a  new 
Canaan  ?  Can  they  boast  of  no  yirtues,  no  serrices,  to  entitle 
them  to  the  joys  of  liberty's  land  ? 

Who  reared  the  temple  of  national  freedom  ?  Who  kindled 
the  sacred  flame  on  its  altars  ?  Whose  virtues,  whose  services, 
have  contributed  to  nourish  that  flame  ?  Go !  untie  the  scroll 
fame !  Peruse  the  list  of  American  worthies,  and  tell  me  if  any 
federalists  are  there !  Go  to  the  hard-fought  fields  of  the  Rev- 
olution—  kneel  on  their  sacred  earth,  which  tells  no  lies,  and 
ask  her,  if,  on  the  memorable  days  when  we  fought  for  liberty, 
no  federal  blood  moistened  her  bosom  ?  Nay,  persecuted  as  we 
are,  perhaps  at  this  moment  some  fearless  sailor  climbs  the  shat- 
tered mast  to  nail  the  flag  of  my  country  to  its  stump — my  life 
on  it  that  fellow  is  a  federalist !  •  Perhaps  some  gallant  soldier 
may  yet  scale  the  heights  of  Abraham,  to  wreathe  liberty's  stan- 
dard around  Montgomery's  tomb  —  I  tell  you  the  first  foot,  which 
presses  that  classic  ground,  will  be  a  federalist's!  For  ever  live 
the  glorious  name  our  Washington  bore !  For  ever  let  his  ex- 
ample inspire  his  children ! 

The  spii'it  of  federalism  rises  from  the  tomb  of  Mount  Vernon: 
—  and  when  my  country  shall  bend  under  the  storms  of  adver- 
sity, the  children  of  Washington  will  show  "  their  generous  nar 
ture ;"  but  should  those  storms  rock  Liberty's  temple  to  its  base, 
then  will  the  Sampson  of  federalism  grasp  the  pillars,  and  in  his 
expiring  struggles,  perish  withXiberty  in  liberty's  ruins. 

Yes,  Americans !  the  power  which  made  you  great  and  free, 
independent  and  happy,  still  opens  its  arms  to  receive  the  prod- 
igal returned.  When  my  country  shall  have  been  deeply  stricken 
by  misfortune,  may  she  —  grown  wise  by  her  experience  —  deter- 
when  he  had  retired  to  the  walks  of  domestic  life,  the  illastrioaa  citizen  gave  foil 
proof  of  his  innocence  by  exposing,  not  only  the  malice,  bat  the  absolate  impossi- 
bility of  the  tale.  The  original  letters  written  by  the  general  at  that  period,  aro 
now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Custis  of  Arlington. 

*  Two  days  afterward,  the  prophecy  was  fulfilled  I    Hull  and  the  constitution ! 


GSNERAJ.  JAMES  M.  LTNOAN.  583 

mine  to  restore  the  age  of  Washington — to  render  the  last  of 
repnblics  immortal  I 

Did  I  speak  of  the  age  of  Washington !  The  golden  age  of  my 
country!  when  peace,  prosperity,  and  protection  blessed  our 
land !  Great  is  the  contrast  now.  Attend  me,  friends,  to  the 
house  of  a  federalist  at  this  portentious  period.  I  open  you  the 
door,  and  that  too  of  a  man  who  can  look  his  country  in  the  face, 
•and  say  I  have  been  thy  benefactor.*  Near  the  cradle  of  my 
sleeping  child  stands  the  musket  and  bayonet ;  near  the  pillow  of 
my  innocent  wife  the  sharpened  sabre !  and  why  ?  Because  I  will 
enjoy  the  right  of  opinion,  the  freedom  of  speech,  and  the  liberty 
of  the  press  —  these  sacred  privileges  I  inhaled  with  my  first 
breath,  and  will  only  lose  them  with  my  last.    When  my  parent 

'*  Mr.  Custis  has  established  an  annual  convention  for  the  promotion  of  agri- 
culture and  domestic  manufactures,  known  throughout  the  country  by  the  title  of 
"Arlington  sheep-shearing."  Its  motto,  "pro  patria  temper**  At  Arlington 
House,  under  the  tent  of  Washington,  a  numerous  concourse  of  the  most  exalted 
characters  in  our  republic,  besides  strangers  of  distinction,  assemble  on  everj 
thirtieth  of  April,  to  witness  the  distribution  of  the  first  prizes  ever  thus  given  in 
America,  for  the  best  specimens  of  sheep  and  domestic  manufactures.  After  the 
prizes  are  assigned,  Mr.  Custis  collects  his  friends  at  a  splendid  repast  under  the 
tent  of  his  illustrious  relative,  and  when  the  cloth  is  removed,  commonly  addresses 
them  in  strains  of  eloquence  and  feeling  worthy  of  the  sacred  canvass  which  cano- 
pies his  head.  After  appropriate  toasts  and  other  convivialities,  the  company  dis- 
perse; The  prizes  offered  by  Mr.  Custis  are  all  at  his  own  individual  expense, 
and,  together  with  the  cost  of  entertaining  so  great  a  concourse,  subject  him  to  a 
very  heavy  annual  disbursement.  BQsides  the  better  part  of  nine  years,  since  the 
first  "  Arlington  sheep-shearing,"  employed  in  the  promotion  of  agriculture  and 
domestic  economy,  Mr.  Custis  has  devoted  considerable  pecuniary  resources  to  the 
same  noble  enterprize.  This  purpose  has  been  steadfastly  pursued,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  great  political  changes  which  have  taken  place  since  the  thirtieth  of 
April,  1803,  it  has  kindled  a  fondness  for  the  great  objects  which  it  was  meant  to 
promote,  and  convinced  Americans  that  they  may  indeed  be  independent.  The 
sheep-shearing  speeches,  which  are  before  the  public,  will  prove  that  no  party 
motives  have  prompted  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Custis.  In  one  of  these  he  remarks, 
"  America  shall  be  great  and  free,  and  minister  to  her  own  wants,  by  the  employ- 
ment of  her  own  resources."  In  another,  "  The  citizen  of  my  country  will  proudly 
appear,  when  clothed  in  the  produce  of  his  native  soil."  By  the  disinterested  de- 
votion of  Mr.  Custis  to  the  public  good,  he  has  illustrated  the  motto  "  Pro  patria 
Memper."  May  not  such  a  man  "  look  his  country  in  the  face,"  and  exultingly  ex- 
claim, "  I  have  been  thy  benefactor  I"    "  My  life  on  it  this  fellow  is  a  federalist." 

Mr.  Custis  had  the  satisfaction  of  being  able  to  say,  at  a  recent  sheep-shearing, 
"  My  humble  institution,  which  first  taught  my  country  to  hail  the  sound  of  industry 
with  independence,  is  growing  old  in  its  usefulness,  and,  as  the  happy  parent,  be- 
holds a  numerous  progeny  arising  to  support  its  age." 


584  APPENDIX. 

was  perishing  at  Yorktown,  he  bequeathed  this  inyaluable 
legacy  to  his  child,  and  damned  be  the  man  who  would  relin- 
quish the  rights  obtained  by  a  parent's  sufiFerings!* 

0,  Washington !  discerning  man !  well  indeed  didst  thou  fore- 
see thy  country's  fallen  destiny !  As  a  father  didst  thou  warn 
thy  children  of  the  precipiece  to  which  they  were  approaching. 
Yes,  as  thy  country's  guardian  angel  didst  thou  stand  ou  the 
brink  and  point  to  the  abyss  below.f  Thy  sun  hath  sunk  in  the 
west,  but  may  its  last  parting  gleam  still  serve  to  light  us  in  our 
darksome  course,  till  the  sun  of  another  Washington  shall  arise, 
and  give  to  America  a  glorious  day ! 

Weep  not  my  brethren,  that  our  chief  is  gone.  Dry  up  your 
tears ;  and  thank  the  Author  of  divine  mercies  for  having  so  long 
preserved  our  benefactor  for  our  happiness,  and  at  last  only  to 
have  taken  him  from  us  when  the  degeneracy  of  his  country  had 
began  to  sorrow  his  declining  years.J  Methinks  I  hear  hid 
mighty  spirit  sigh  in  the  breeze ;  methinks  I  see  his  venerated 
form  enshrined  in  glory  —  his  opened  arms  receive  the  shade  of 
Lingan  !     Listen  to  his  awful  words  : 

"  Welcome  to  thy  chief,  thou  good  and  faithful  soldier !  Twice 
hast  thou  bled  in  liberty's  cause !  Here  shalt  thou  enjoy  the 
recompense  of  the  brave  !" 

*  Mr.  Custis's  father,  then  a  member  of  the  miUtary  staff  of  Washington,  died 
near  Yorktown,  in  1781,  from  an  infectious  disorder  received  in  the  British  camp. 
Mr.  Cnstis,  at  that  time  an  infant,  was  adopted  into  the  family  of  Mount  Vernon. 

t  The  discerning  mind  of  Washington  "  looked  quite  through  the  deeds  of  men/ 
and  early  perceived  the  dangerous  precipice  to  which  the  principles  and  conduct  of 
certain  persons  were  hurrying  his  devoted  country.  Like  a  guardian  genius,  he 
warned  her  of  her  fate,  and,  placing  the  majesty  of  his  exalted  character  and  exam- 
ple on  the  brink,  sought  to  preserve  the  nation  his  virtues  and  services  had  rendered 
illustrious ;  but  all  in  vain  1  Urged  by  her  untoward  destiny,  she  falls  from  her 
envied  height  and  sinks  into  "  the  abyss  below  V* 

X  It  was  about  the  year  1798  that  Washington,  being  visited  by  Judge  MarshaU, 
Judge  Washington,  and  General  H.  Lee,  observed  to  these  gentlemen  on  their  de- 
parture, while  standing  at  the  western  door  of  Mount  Vernon  (emblematic  of  the 
decline  of  his  setting  sun) — "Gentlemen,  you  must  come  forward  in  the  nation's 
councils.  The  exigencies  of  her  affairs  require  your  good  services.  The  most  unhappy 
consequences  will  ensue  should  the  principles  of  the  party  now  rising  into  power  ever 
predominate  in  our  country.  /  may  not  live  to  witness  these  things  — you  may!" 
Marshall  and  Lee  obeyed  the  patriarch's  summons ;  Bushrod  Washington,  from  pecu- 
liar circitmstances.  was  prevented.  It  soon  aAer  became  the  melancholy  du^  of 
Marshall  to  announce  his  death,  and  the  pride  of  Lee  to  proclaim  his  eulogy ! 


CELEBRATION   OF  THE  RUSSIAN  VIOTORIES.  685 


NOTE   III.-Page  61. 

CELEBRATION   OP  THE  RUSSIAN  VICTORIES, 
AN  ORATION  BY  MB.  CUSTIS,  OF  ABUNGTON,  DELIYEBBD  JUKE  \WB, 

Though  feeble  in  health,  yet  being  honored  as  your  choice,  1 
will  humbly  endeavor  to  execute  the  task  which  your  too  partial 
Favor  has  assigned  me. 

The  purpose  of  this  association  is  at  once  novel  and  interest- 
ing. It  has  heretofore  been  deemed  a  full  measure  of  duty  for 
nations  to  celebrate  events  which  may  have  had  immediate  rela- 
tion to  themselves }  but  generous  America  will  set  to  the  world 
a  nobler  example,  and,  forgetting  for  a  moment  that  selfish  im- 
pulse which  directs  our  feelings  to  our  own  immediate  welfare, 
let  us  ennce  a  laudable  sympathy  in  the  welfare  of  others. 

When  we  fought  for  liberty,  many  were  the  foreign  bosoms 
which  beat  in  unison  with  our  cause.  Perhaps,  under  the  fur- 
garment  of  the  distant  Russian,  America  and  her  efforts  may 
have  excited  that  cheering  warmth  which  virtuous  bosoms  nour- 
ish. Then  reciprocate  the  generous  feeling,  and  show  to  the 
world  thatj^  grateful  for  our  own  liberties,  we  deem  it  a  bounden 
duty  to  rejoice  in  the  liberties  of  others. 

Sure  Americans  should  feel  an  interest  in  the  successes  of  those 
who  war  for  the  right  of  self-government,  whatever  may  be  the 
clime  they  inhabit,  and  wish  strength  to  the  arm  which  strikes 
for  national  liberty,  whether  it  wield  the  lance  of  the  Cossack  or 
the  Highlander's  claymore. 

Amid  those  great  events,  which  of  late  years  have  so  con- 
vulsed the  civilized  world,  the  invasion  of  Russia  forms  a  most 
grand  and  predominant  feature.  It  seems  as  if  the  last  energies 
of  Europe  were  aroused  to  this  consummate  struggle.    Napo- 


586  APPENDIX. 

leon,  mighty  in  genius  and  vast  in  resources,  like  a  Colossus,  had 
long  bestrode  the  European  world,  and,  fired  with  the  rage  of 
conquest,  sought  to  plant  his  standard  on  the  banks  of  the  Neva. 
His  march  is  like  the  sirocco  of  the  desert,  spreading  ruin  and 
desolation  around  him;  his  course  is  known  bj  the  smoke  of 
villages  cooling  in  human  blood ;  his  triumphs  are  heard  in  the 
lamentations  of  human  misery.  The  host  of  Prussia  retires  — 
all  seems  his  prey,  until,  urged  by  high  destiny,  he  seeks  to  rest 
from  his  labors  in  the  palace  of  the  czars,  and  finds  in  the  flames 
of  Moscow  a  funeral  pyre  for  his  ambition.  Immortal  Moscow ! 
Magnanimous  people!  who,  rather  than  their  ancient  capital 
should  afford  to  the  tyrant  a  domicil,  seize  the  torch  and  fire  at 
once  the  altars  of  their  God,  the  temples  of  their  saints,  and  the 
sepulchre  of  their  kings.  And  are  these  the  people  whom  the 
world  has  been  pleased  to  denominate  barbarians  ?  True,  the 
sun  of  science  hath,  as  yet,  but  feebly  twinkled  in  their  frozen 
clime ;  but,  by  heaven,  this  late  act  of  theirs  would  have  done 
honor  to  the  most  splendid  era  of  ancient  virtue — ay,  it  would 
have  immortalized  old  Rome  even  in  her  Fabian  age,  or  Lace- 
dffimon  in  the  time  of  Leonidas. 

Though  Moscow  remains  but  a  heap  of  blackened  ruins,  still 
from  its  ashes  may  be  raked  a  gem  of  purest,  brightest  value.  I 
mean  its  great  example,  which  tells  to  the  nations  of  the  world 
that,  when  a  people  are  resolved  to  serve  their  own  rulers  and 
obey  their  own  laws,  among  that  people  corruption  can  never 
enter,  nor  can  tyrants  subdue  them.  Had  the  Austrians,  the 
Italians,  or  the  Swiss,  fired  his  Vienna,  his  Milan,  or  his  Berne, 
Europe  might  have  long  since  been  saved.  Their  misfortunes 
have  taught  them  a  useful  lesson ;  but  now,  if,  after  the  wisdom 
which  burning  Moscow  has  thrown  upon  surrounding  nations, 
they  are  again  enslaved,  a  long  night  of  tyranny  must  over^ 
shadow  a  despairing  world. 

From  the  history  of  these  events,  let  nations  learn  to  place  a 
firm  reliance  on  the  all-wise  Disposer  of  human  affairs,  who,  even 
in  her  darkest  day,  raised  up  for  Russia,  the  avenger  of  his 
country's  wrongs,  the  aged,  the  illustrious  Koutusoff.    This  ven- 


CELEBRATION   OF  THE  RUSSIAN   YIGTORIES.  587 

erable  chief  had  been  the  soldier  of  other  wars;  his  spring  of 
youth  first  budded  in  the  fields  of  honor ;  his  meridian  summer 
blazed  high  on  the  walls  of  Oczatchoff,  and,  though  age  may 
fade  the  leaf  of  his  autumn,  stem  winter  can  never  wither  a  leaf 
of  the  laurel  which  binds  his  silvery  brow — it  must  bloom  even 
amid  his  native  snows. 

Bussia,  go  on !  Thine  own  chains  broken,  break  thou  the 
the  chains  of  others.  Gray  warrior  of  the  North  !  if  thine  aged 
frame  can  bear  more  honors,  go  whet  thy  avenging  sword  on  the 
tomb  of  Suwarrow,  and  again  thunder  on  the  plains  of  Italy — 
climb  the  glacier  steeps,  where  the  descendants  of  Tell  pine  in 
ignominious  bondage  and  sigh  for  their  native  liberty.  Burst 
that  confederation,  linked  only  by  the  tyrant's  power,  nor  furl 
thy  conquering  banner  till  it  shall  feel  the  breezes  of  the  Bhine. 
Then  pause ;  give  to  each  nation  the  government  it  may  choose, 
and,  retiring  to  the  polar  forests,  the  blessings  of  millions  will 
cheer  thy  declining  days,  and  a  brilliant  halo  of  glory  encircle 
thy  immortal  fame.  The  name  of  Eoutnsoff  will  not  be  ranked 
with  the  destroyers  of  nations,  but  will  proudly  swell  the  list  of 
virtuous  heroes,  with  Vasa,  with  Tell,  with  Wallace,  with  Wash- 
ington, deliverers  of  their  country  and  benefactors  of  man.  Ere 
we  leave  the  field  of  fame,  let  us  pay  due  homage  to  the  mem- 
ory of  the  brave.  Bagration,  the  prince  of  Bussian  chivalry, 
the  patriot,  the  hero,  now  sleeps  in  the  bed  of  honor !  But  not 
unremembered  hath  he  fallen ;  for,  whenever  the  roving  Cossack 
shall  gallop  over  Borodino's  plain,  his  wild  and  warlike  eye 
will  rest  with  delight  on  the  tumulus  which  contains  Bagra- 
tion's  ashes. 

Bussia,  farewell !  So  long  as  thou  shalt  wield  the  sword  of 
justice  —  the  deliverance  of  nations  mark  the  progress  of  thy 
march  —  may  the  eagle  of  victory  perch  on  thy  standard,  and 
the  prayers  of  rescued  humanity  speed  the  triumph  of  thino 
arms. 

Americans !  let  the  events  which  have  lately  distinguished  the 
theatre  of  Europe,  be  held  up  as  a  mirror,  in  which  you  may 
view  the  fate  of  nations,  and  learn  to  protect  your  own  from 


688  AFPENDIZ. 

those  evils  which  have  befallen  so  many  ofhers.  Think  not  be- 
cause a  vast  ocean  intervenes,  the  frantic  ambition  which  has 
desolated  the  fairest  portion  of  the  Old  World  will  look  nncon- 
cerned  toward  the  New,  It  was  customary  with  chieftains  of 
other  days  to  pause  in  the  high  career  of  ambition.  Rome's 
great  Julius,  when  arrived  at  the  rubicon,  debated  with  himself 
whether  he  should  pass  those  limits  prescribed  by  the  laws,  and 
infringe  on  those  liberties  which  his  illustrious  family  had  found- 
ed, and  himself  sworn  to  protect ;  and  "  Philip's  warlike  son," 
when  in  the  midst  of  submissive  nations,  listened  to  counsel  and 
retraced  his  conquering  steps.  But  what  limits,  what  barri^^, 
shall  ever  curb  Napoleon's  ambition  ?  Think  you  that  he  who 
hath  scaled  the  Alps  would  not  attempt  the  Andes  ?  And  that 
mighty  genius,  which  scared  the  chamois  from  the  snowy  heights 
of  St.  Bernard,  would  start  the  lonely  condor  on  the  cloiM- 
capped  summits  of  the  Ghimborazo. 

Returning  from  abroad,  the  delighted  American  beholds  rich 
triumphs  at  home.  They  seem  like  an  elysian  dream,  from 
which  we  fear  to  awaken;  but  the  vision  hath  passed  away — 
the  glorious  truth  bursts  like  the  morning  light  upon  our  rav- 
ished senses  —  and  we  hail  with  ecstacy  the  rising  of  our  naval 
sun. 

Twelve  months  ago,  could  a  man  have  been  found  hardy 
enough  to  assert  that  America  should  meet  in  equal  combat  with 
the  mistress  of  the  main,  and  that,  too,  upon  her  usurped  element, 
and  there  should  deal  her  a  harder  measure  of  battle  than  she 
hath  dealt  even  to  her  meanest  foe,  that  man  would  have  been 
called  a  fool.  But  now,  my  friends,  the  experiment  has  been  so 
oft  repeated  that  we  have  proved  to  our  country  and  an  admiring 
world  the  glorious  fact,  that  we,  too,  can  "  march  upon  the  moun- 
tain wave  " —  we,  too,  can  share  "  in  the  empire  of  the  deep." 

Our  noble  sailors  have  so  well  employed  their  time,  that  al- 
ready are  they  teachers  of  that  very  science  in  which  their  enemy 
has  always  claimed  the  mastership,  and  American  seamen  de- 
serve a  patent-right  for  the  destruction  of  armed  vessels  on 
principles  and  practice  wholly  their  own. 


GELSBKATION  OF  THB  BQSSIAN  VICTORIES.  689 

Nay,  cren  were  great  Nelson  living,  whose  last  sigh  still 
dwells  in  glory  on  Trafalgar's  wave,  his  generous  soul  would 
have  given  to  his  enemy  the  just  meed  of  praise. 

On  the  outermost  cliff,  which  overlooks  the  main,  we  should 
erect  a  naval  trophy,  adorned  with  the  busts  of  our  heroes,  that, 
when  the  future  sailor^boy  should  thither  roam,  his  delighted 
eye  may  rest  on  the  monument  of  our  early  fame,  and  his  youth- 
fhl  heart  be  fired  with  a  generous  emulation. 

And  who  have  achieyed  these  glories  ?  The  nurslings  who 
have  long  fed  at  the  bosom  of  public  bounty,  and  gambolled  in 
the  sunshine  of  public  patronage  and  protection  ?  Say,  rather, 
it  is  the  neglected  children  of  our  Washington  —  they  who,  for 
a  long,  long  time,  have  endured  their  country's  scorn,  and  been 
deemed  unworthy  of  her  confidence  or  esteem.  Yet,  when  dan- 
gers assail  and  misfortunes  press  hard  on  their  native  land,  see 
them,  mindful  of  the  example  of  their  chief,  forget  their  wrongs 
«nd  show  their  generous  nature.  And  are  these  the  men  who 
bnt  the  other  day  bore  the  hard  names  of  traitors  and  of 
tories  ? — and  has  it  been  left  for  traitors  and  tories  to  strike 
Britannia's  flag  upon  the  ocean  ?  My  country,  for  shame ! 
Will  you  never  know  your  friends?  So  when  your  old  sol- 
dier died,  the  brave,  the  virtuous  Lingan,  these  tender  epi- 
thets were  the  cruel  comforts  of  his  parting  hour ;  they  were 
the  tender  mercies  offered  to  soothe  a  hero  at  the  end  of  a  blame- 
less life  ;  they  were  the  pious  blessings  with  which  he  closed  his 
eyes  for  ever !  Americans,  have  you  forgot  this  old  man's 
wrongs  ?  There  is  a  God  of  justice  and  humanity  who  may  for- 
get you.  Let  us  go  back  for  a  moment  to  that  gloomy,  yet  in- 
teresting, period  when,  in  pious  assemblage,  we  paid  our  last 
duties  to  the  memory  of  the  brave.  Tou  must  all  remember 
that,  while  I  feebly  breathed  my  poor  tribute  of  praise  to  the 
manes  of  the  martyred  Lingan,  I  dared  to  say  that  the  hand 
which  should  ^'  nail  the  flag  of  my  country  to  the  mast "  would 
belong  to  one  of  those  who  then  bore  their  country's  odium  and 
persecution.  I  thought  I  knew  my  brethren  —  knew  those  fel- 
lows to  be  of  no  mongrel  breed,  but  the  true,  legitimate  children 


d90  APPENDIX. 

of  our  chief,  and  such,  most  worthily  have  their  deeds  proved 
them  to  be. 

Encouraged  by  success  in  one  prophecy,  I  prophesy  again,  and 
now  will  say  that  the  heart  which  shall  direct  the  energies  of 
this  great  nation  to  the  accomplishment  of  that  high  destiny  the 
meritorious  life  of  her  Washington  founded,  must  feel  the  prin- 
ciples and  be  warned  by  the  virtues  of  that  immortal  man. 

How  doth  every  day  more  and  more  bring  to  our  view  that 
wisdom  and  foresight  which  distinguished  the  Father  of  our 
Country — he  to  whose  humble  grave  this  ungrateful  nation 
hath  not  yet  rolled  even  one  poor  stone !  He  first  laid  those 
keels  which  now  triumphant  plough  the  main ;  he  first  hoisted 
that  flag  which  now  flies  victorious  on  our  conquering  decks. 

How  acceptable  to  the  shade  of  our  parent  must  be  the  glo- 
rious deeds  of  his  children  !  They  rise  like  grateful  incense  to 
his  departed  spirit  in  the  realms  of  bliss  ! 

Go  on,  my  brethren  —  the  eye  of  the  chief  still  rests  on  his 
beloved  country;  his  affections  are  coincident  with  his  glory. 
However  she  may  have  forgotten  her  duties  to  you,  forget  not 
the  high  duties  which  you  owe  to  the  land  of  your  birth.  If  die 
deny  you  her  honors  and  rewards,  there  is  left  you  the  sweet 
consolation  of  having  deserved  them.  It  behooves  not  to  say 
whether  our  rulers  are  wicked  or  unwise.  K  so,  we  but  share 
in  the  common  fate  of  nations,  all  of  whom  at  some  time  or 
other  have  been  unfortunate  in  these  respects.  An  enemy's 
anchor  now  clings  to  our  soil.  Be  firm,  my  friends  —  be  mind- 
ful of  the  heroic  fame  of  your  fathers  ;  hug  to  your  hearts  your 
recent  triumphs,  and  show  to  posterity  and  the  world  that,  in 
the  hour  of  danger,  Americans  will  venerate  their  laws  and  give 
their  lives  to  the  liberties  of  their  country. 


] 


LAFATKETE  AT  THB  TOMB  OF  WASHINGTON.  591 


NOTE   IV.-Page  67. 

LAFAYETTE  AT  THE  TOMB  OF  WASHINOTON. 

The  solemn  and  imposing  scene  of  the  risit  of  Lafayette  to 
the  tomb  of  Washington  took  place  on  Sunday,  the  17th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1826.  About  one  o'clock,  the  general  left  the  steamboat 
Petersburg  at  anchor,  oS  Mount  Yemon,  and  was  received  into 
a  barge  manned  and  steered  by  captains  of  vessels  from  Alexan- 
dria, who  had  handsomely  volunteered  their  services  for  tlds  in- 
teresting occasion.  He  was  accompanied  in  the  barge  by  his 
family  and  suite,  and  Mr.  Secretary  John  G.  Calhoun.  On 
reaching  the  shores,  he  was  received  by  Mr.  Lawrence  Lewis,  the 
nephew  of  Washington,  and  by  the  gentlemen  of  the  family  of 
Judge  Bushrod  Washington  (the  judge  himself  being  absent  on 
official  duties),  and  conducted  to  the  ancient  mansion,  where,  forty 
years  before,  Lafayette  took  the  last  leave  of  his  ^^  hero,  his 
friend,  and  our  country's  preserver." 

After  remaining  a  few  minutes  in  the  house,  the  general  pro- 
ceeded to  the  vault,*  supported  by  Mr.  Lewis  and  the  gentlemen 
relatives  of  the  judge,  and  accompanied  by  G.  W.  Lafayette  and 
G.  W.  P.  Custis,  the  children  of  Mount  Vernon^  both  having 
shared  the  paternal  care  of  the  great  chief.  Mr.  Custis  wore  the 
ring-f  suspended  from  a  Cincinnati  ribbon.  Arrived  at  the  sep- 
ulchre, after  a  pause,  Mr.  Custis  addressed  the  general  as  fol- 
lows : — 

*  The  old  yaalt,  now  in  rains. 

t  See  page  67.  The  foUowiog  description  of  the  ring  is  from  the  National  Intel- 
lufmoer,  October  9,  1824: — 

"  We  have  had  an  opportunity  of  inspecting  the  ring  made  by  Mr.  Greenbnry 
Qaither,  enclosing  a  lock  of  the  hair  of  General  Washington,  which  Mr.  Castis  had 
prepared  to  be  presented  bj  him  to  General  Lafayette.    It  will  remain  at  Mr. 


^92  APPJSNDIX. 

^'  Last  of  the  generals  of  the  army  of  independence !  at  this 
awful  and  impressive  moment,  when,  forgetting  the  splendor  of 
a  triumph  greater  than  Roman  consul  ever  had,  you  bend  with 
reverence  over  the  remains  of  Washington,  the  child  of  Mount 
Vernon  presents  you  with  this  token,  containing  the  hair  of  him 
whom,  while  living,  you  loved,  and  to  whose  honored  grave  you 
now  pay  the  manly  and  affecting  tribute  of  a  patriot's  and  a 
soldier's  tear, 

"  The  ring  has  ever  been  an  emblem  of  the  union  of  hearts  from 
the  earliest  ages  of  the  world,  and  this  will  unite  the  affections 
of  all  the  Americans  to  the  person  and  posterity  of  Lafayette 
now  and  hereafter ;  and,  when  your  descendants  of  a  distant  day 
shall  behold  this  valued  relic,  it  will  remind  them  of  the  heroic 
virtues  of  their  illustrious  sire  who  received  it,  not  in  the  pal- 
aces or  amid  the  pomp  and  vanities  of  life,  but  the  laurelled 
grave  of  Washington.  Do  you  ask.  Is  this  the  Mausoleum  be* 
fitting  the  ashes  of  Marcus  Aurelius  or  the  good  Antonius  ?  I 
tell  you  that  the  Father  of  his  Country  lies  buried  in  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen,  and  in  those  of  the  brave,  the  good,  the  free, 
of  all  ages  and  nations.  Do  you  seek  for  the  tablets  which  are 
to  convey  his  fame  to  immortality  ?  They  have  long  been  writ- 
ten in  the  freedom  and  happiness  of  his  country.  These  are 
the  monumental  trophies  of  Washington  the  Great,  and  will  en- 
dure when  the  proudest  works  of  art  have  *  dissolved  and  left 
not  a  wreck  behind.* 

"  Venerable  man !  will  you  never  tire  in  the  cause  of  freedom 

Gaither's  to-day,  subject  to  public  inspoction.  The  ring  U  of  solid  gold,  and  per- 
fectly  plain,  but  neat  workmanship.  On  the  inner  surface  of  it  is  the  following 
inscription  beautifoU/  engraved : 

*  Lafatettb. 

1777. 

Pro  noTi  orbis  liberate 

decerbatat  Juvenis, 

stabilitam  8enex 

Invenit. 

18S4.' 

On  the  face  of  the  ring,  surrounding  the  hair,  are  the  words  '  Pater  Patriss ;'  and 
on  another  side  the  words  '  Hount  Yemon/  This  is  an  appropriate,  and  must  be 
a  bighly  acceptable  gift." 


LAFATKETE  AT  THB  TOMB   OF  WASHINGTON.  693 

and  human  happiness  ?  Is  it  not  time  that  you  should  rest  from 
your  generous  labors,  and  repose  on  the  bosom  of  a  country 
which  delights  to  love  and  honor  you,  and  will  her  children's 
children  to  bless  your  name  and  memory  ?  Sure  where  liberty 
dwells  there  must  be  the  country  of  Lafayette  ! 

"  Our  fathers  witnessed  the  dawn  of  your  glory,  partook  of  its 
meridian  splendor,  and  0 !  let  their  children  enjoy  the  benign 
radiance  of  your  setting  sun,  and,  when  it  shall  sink  in  the 
horizon  of  nature,  here^  here,  with  pious  duty,  we  will  form  your 
sepulchre,  and,  united  in  death  as  in  life  by  the  side  of  the  great 
chief,  you  will  rest  in  peace,  till  the  last  trump  awakes  the  slum- 
bering world  and  calls  your  virtues  to  their  great  reward. 

"  The  joyous  shouts  of  millions  of  freemen  hailed  your  returned 
foot-prints  on  our  sands ;  the  arms  of  millions  are  opened  wide 
to  hug  you  to  their  grateful  hearts,  and  the  prayers  of  millions 
ascend  to  the  throne  of  Almighty  power,  and  implore  that  the 
choicest  blessings  of  Heaven  will  cheer  the  latter  days  of  La- 
fayette r 

The  general,  having  received  the  ring,  pressed  it  to  his  bosom 
and  replied : — 

^^  The  feelings  which,  at  this  awful  moment,  oppress  my  heart 
do  not  leave  the  power  of  utterance.  I  can  only  thank  you,  my 
dear  Gustis,  for  your  precious  gift,  and  pay  a  silent  homage  to 
the  tomb  of  the  greatest  and  best  of  men,  my  paternal  friend !" 

The  general  affectionately  embraced  the  donor  and  the  other 
three  gentlemen,  and,  gazing  intently  on  the  receptacle  of  de- 
parted greatness,  fervently  pressed  his  lips  to  the  door  of  the 
vault,  while  tears  filled  the  furrows  of  the  veteran's  cheeks.  The 
key  was  now  applied  to  the  lock — the  door  flew  open  and  dis- 
covered the  coffins  strewed  with  flowers  and  evergreens.  The 
general  descended  the  steps  and  kissed  the  leaden  cells  which 
contained  the  ashes  of  the  great  chief  and  his  venerable  consort, 
and  then  retired  in  an  excess  of  feeling  which  language  is  too 
poor  to  describe.  After  partaking  of  refreshments  at  the  house, 
and  making  a  slight  tour  in  the  grounds,  the  general  returned  to 
to  the  shore.    In  descending  the  hill  to  the  river,  the  horses 

38 


594  APPENDIX. 

became  restive.  Some  spirited  young  mea  rushed  forward,  re- 
moved  the  horses,  and  would  have  drawn  the  carriage  them- 
selves ;  but  this  the  general  would  not  permit,  and,  alighting, 
walked  to  the  shore,  a  distance  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 
Previous  to  re-embarkation,  Mr.  Gustis  presented  the  Cincinnati 
ribbon,  which  had  borne  the  ring  to  the  vault,  to  Major  Ewell,  a 
veteran  of  the  Revolution,  requesting  him  to  take  a  part  of  it 
and  divide  the  remainder  among  the  young  men  present,  which 
was  done,  and  a  general  struggle  ensued  for  the  smallest  portion 
of  it. 

The  same  barge  conveyed  the  general  to  the  Petersburg",  the 
marine  band  playing,  as  before,  a  strain  of  solemn  music.  The 
vessel  immediately  proceeded  on  her  voyage  to  Yorktown, 

Not  a  soul  intruded  upon  the  privacy  of  the  visit  to  the  tomb. 
Nothing  occurred  to  disturb  its  reverential  solemnity.  The  old 
oaks  which  grew  around  the  sepulchre,  touched  with  the  mel- 
lowed lustre  of  autumn,  appeared  rich  and  ripe  as  the  autumnal 
honors  of  Lafayette.  Not  a  murmur  was  heard,  save  the  strains 
of  solemn  music  and  the  deep  and  measured  sound  of  artillery, 
which  awoke  the  echoes  around  the  hallowed  heights  of  Mount 
Vernon. 

'Tis  done  I  the  greatest,  the  most  affecting  scene  of  the  grand 
drama  has  closed,  and  the  pilgrim  who  now  repairs  to  the  tomb 
of  the  Father  of  his  Country  will  find  its  laurels  moistened  by 
the  tears  of  Lafayette.* 

*  This  was  commaoicated  to  the  National  Intdligeneer  immediatelj  after  the 
occurrence,  and  was  published  in  that  paper  on  the  26th  of  October,  18S4. 


AGRICULTURAL  DIRECmONS   BT   WASHINQTON.  595 


NOTE    V. 

AGRICULTURAL  DIRECTIONS,  BT   WASHINGTON* 

Hating  giTen  Tery  full  and  ample  details  of  the  intended 
crops,  and  my  ideas  of  the  modes  of  managing  them  at  the  se^- 
ral  plantations,  little,  if  these  are  obserred,  needs  be  added  on 
this  subject.  Bat,  as  the  profit  of  CTcrj  farm  is  greater  or  less, 
in  proportion  to  the  quantity  of  manure  which  is  made  thereon, 
or  can  be  obtained  by  keeping  the  fields  in  good  condition,  these 
two  important  requisites  ought  ncTer  to  be  lost  sight  of. 

To  eflFect  the  former,  besides  the  ordinary  means  of  farm-yards, 
cow-pens,  sheep-folds,  stables,  Ac,  it  would  be  of  essential  use, 
if  a  certain  proportion  of  the  force  of  each  plantation  could  be 
appropriated,  in  the  summer  or  early  part  of  autumn,  to  the  pur- 
pose of  getting  up  mud  to  be  ameliorated  by  the  frosts  of  winter 
for  the  spring-crops,  which  are  to  follow.  And,  to  accomplish 
the  latter,  the  gullies  in  these  fields,  prcTious  to  their  being  sown 
with  grain  and  grass-seeds,  ought  invariably  to  be  filled  up.  By 
so  doing,  and  a  small  sprinkling  of  manure  there,  they  will  ac- 
quire a  green  sward  and  strength  of  soil  sufficient  to  preseire 
them.  These  are  the  only  means  I  know  of  by  which  exhausted 
lands  can  be  recoTcred,  and  an  estate  rescued  from  destruction. 

Although  a  precise  number  of  tobacco  hills  is,  by  my  general 

*  On  several  occasions,  the  aathor  of  the  RocoUedions  has  referred  to  the  extreme 
care  and  method  which  Washington  always  exercised  in  the  management  of  his 
estate.  The  foUowing  "  directions  respecting  the  management  of  the  plantations 
and  other  affairs  at  Meant  Vernon/'  given  to  his  nephew,  George  A.  Washington, 
to  whom  he  committed  the  superintendence  of  his  private  concerns  when  he  assumed 
the  office  of  President  of  the  United  States,  will  give  the  reader  a  fair  specimen  of 
that  care  and  method.  The  paper  is  dated  March  81,  1789,  a  little  more  than  a 
fortnight  before  he  left  Meant  Vernon  for  New  York. 


696  APPENDIX. 

directions,  allotted  to  each  plantation,  jet  mj  real  intention  is, 
that  no  more  ground  shall  be  appropriated  to  this  crop  than  what 
is  either  naturally  very  good  (for  which  purpose  small  spots  maj 
be  chosen),  or  what  can  be  made  strong  hj  manure  of  some  kind 
or  other ;  for  mj  object  is  to  labor  for  profit,  and  therefore  to  re- 
gard quality  instead  of  quantity,  there  being,  except  in  the  article 
of  manuring,  no  difiference  between  attending  a  good  plant  and 
an  indifferent  one.  But,  in  any  event,  let  the  precise  number  of 
hills  be  ascertained,  that  an  estimate  may  be  formed  of  their 
yield  to  the  thousand. 

Being  thoroughly  convinced,  from  experience,  that  embezzle- 
ment and  waste  of  crops  (to  say  nothing  of  the  various  accidents 
to  which  they  are  liable  by  delays)  are  increased  proportionably 
to  the  time  they  are  suffered  to  remain  on  hand,  my  wish  is,  as 
soon  as  circumstances  will  permit  after  the  grain  is  harvested, 
that  it  may  be  got  out  of  the  straw,  especially  at  the  plantations 
where  there  are  no  barns,  and  either  disposed  of  in  proper  de- 
posites,  or  sold,  if  it  is  wheat,  and  the  price  is  tolerable,  after  it 
has  been  converted  into  flour.  When  this  work  is  set  about  as 
the  sole  or  as  a  serious  business,  it  will  be  executed  properly ; 
but  when  a  little  is  done  now  and  a  little  then,  there  is  more 
waste,  even  if  there  should  be  no  embezzlement,  than  can  well 
be  conceived. 

One  or  two  other  matters  I  beg  may  be  invariably  attended  to. 
The  first  is  to  begin  harvest  as  soon  as  the  grain  can  be  cut  with 
safety ;  and  the  next,  to  get  it  in  the  ground  in  due  season. 
Wheat  should  be  sown  by  the  last  of  August;  at  any  rate  by  the 
10th  of  September ;  and  other  fall  grain  as  soon  after  as  possi* 
ble.  Spring  grain  and  grass-seeds  should  be  sown  as  soon  a&  the 
ground  can  possibly,  with  propriety,  be  prepared  for  their  recep- 
tion. 

For  such  essential  purposes  as  may  absolutely  require  the  aid 
of  the  ditchers,  they  may  be  taken  from  that  work.  At  all  other 
times  they  must  proceed  in  the  manner  which  has  been  directed 
formerly,  and  in  making  the  new  roads  from  the  ferry  to  the 
mill,  and  from  the  tumbling  dam  across  the  neck,  till  it  communi- 


AGRICULTURAL  DIRECTIONS  BY  WASHINGTON.  597 

cates  with  the  Alexandria  road,  as  has  been  pointed  out  on  the 
spot.  The  ditch  from  the  ferry  to  the  mill  along  this  road  may 
be  a  common  four-feet  one ;  but  from  the  mill  to  the  tumbling 
dam,  and  thence  across  to  the  head  of  the  old  field  by  Muddy* 
Hole  fence,  it  must  be  five  feet  wide  at  the  top,  but  no  deeper 
than  the  four-feet  one,  and  the  same  width  at  bottom  as  the 
Utter. 

After  the  carpenters  have  given  security  to  the  old  barn  in  the 
neck,  they  must  proceed  to  the  completion  of  the  new  one  at  the 
ferry,  according  to  the  plan  and  the  explanations  which  have 
been  given.  Gunner  and  Davis  should  get  bricks  made  for  this 
purpose ;  and,  if  John  Knowles  could  be  spared  (his  work,  not 
only  with  respect  to  time,  but  quantity  and  quality,  to  be  amply 
returned)  to  examine  the  bilged  walls,  and  the  security  of  them, 
and  to  level  and  lay  the  foundations  of  the  other  work  when  the 
bricks  are  ready,  it  would  be  rendering  me  an  essential  service ; 
and,  as  the  work  might  be  returned  in  proper  season,  would  be 
no  detriment  to  your  building. 

When  the  brick  work  is  executed  at  the  ferry  barn.  Gunner 
and  Davis  must  repair  to  Dogue  Bun,  and  make  bricks  there,  at 
the  place  and  in  the  manner  which  have  been  directed,  that  I 
may  have  no  salmon  bricks  in  that  building. 

Oyster-shells  should  be  bought  whenever  they  are  offered  for 
sale,  if  good  and  on  reasonable  terms. 

Such  moneys  as  you  may  receive  for  flour,  barley,  fish,  as  also 
for  other  things,  which  can  be  spared  and  sold ;  and  for  rents, 
the  use  of  the  jacks,  &c. ;  and  for  book  debts,  which  may  be 
tried,  though  little  is  expected  from  the  justice  of  those  who 
have  been  long  indulged;  may  be  applied  to  the  payment 
of  workmen's  wages  as  they  arise,  Fairfax,  and  the  taxes,  and 
likewise  to  the  payment  of  any  just  debts  which  I  may  be  owing 
in  small  sums,  and  have  not  been  able  to  discharge  previous  to 
my  leaving  the  state.    The  residue  may  await  further  orders. 

As  I  shall  want  shingles,  plank,  nails,  rum  for  }iarvest,  scant- 
ling, and  such  like  things,  which  would  cost  me  money  at  an- 
other time,  fish  may  be  bartered  for  them.     The  scantling,  if  any 


598  APPENDIX. 

is  taken,  must  be  such  as  will  suit  for  the  barn  now  about  to  be 
built,  or  that  at  Dogue  Run,  without  waste  and  of  good  quality. 

I  find  it  is  indispensably  necessary,  for  two  reasons,  to  save 
my  own  clover  and  timothy-seed ;  first,  because  it  is  the  only 
certain  means  of  having  it  good  and  in  due  season ;  and,  sec* 
ondly,  because  I  find  it  is  a  heavy  article  to  purchase. 

Save  all  the  honey-locusts  you  can  of  those  which  belong  to 
me ;  if  more  could  be  obtained,  the  better ;  and,  in  the  fall, 
plant  them  on  the  ditches  where  they  are  to  remain  about  six 
inches  apart,  one  seed  from  another. 

The  seeds,  which  are  on  the  case  in  my  study,  ought,  without 
loss  of  time,  to  be  sown  and  planted  in  my  botanical  garden, 
and  proper  memoranda  kept  of  the  times  and  places. 

You  will  use  your  best  endeavors  to  obtain  the  means  for  sup- 
port of  G.  and  L.  Washington,  who,  I  expect,  will  board,  till 
something  further  can  be  decided  on,  with  Dr.  Craik,  who  must 
be  requested  to  see  that  they  are  decently  and  properly  provided 
with  clothes  from  Mr.  Porter's  store.  He  will  give  them  a  credit 
on  my  becoming  answerable  to  him  for  the  payment ;  and,  as  I 
know  of  no  resource  that  H.  has  for  supplies  but  from  me,  Fanny 
will,  from  time  to  time,  as  occasion  may  require,  have  such  things 
got  for  her,  on  my  account,  as  she  shall  judge  necessary.  Mrs. 
Washington  will,  I  expect,  leave  her  tolerably  well  provided  with 
common  articles  for  the  present. 

My  memorandum  books,  which  will  be  left  in  my  study,  will 
inform  you  of  the  times  and  places,  when,  and  where,  different 
kinds  of  wheat,  gras&-seeds,  &c.,  were  sown.  Let  particular 
attention  be  paid  to  the  quality  and  quantity  of  each  sort  that  a 
proper  judgment  of  them  may  be  formed.  To  do  this,  great  care 
must  be  taken  to  prevent  mixture  of  the  several  sorts,  as  they 
are  so  contiguous  to  each  other. 

The  general  superintendence  of  my  affairs  is  all  I  require  of 
you ;  for  it  is  neither  my  desire  nor  wish  that  you  should  become 
a  drudge  to  it,  or  that  you  should  refrain  from  any  amusements 
or  visitings  which  may  be  agreeable  either  to  Fanny  or  yourself 
to  make  or  receive.    If  Fairfax,  the  farmer,  and  Thomas  Green, 


AGRICULTURAL  DIRECTIONS  BT  WASHINQTON.  599 

on  each  of  whom  I  have  endeayored  to  impress  a  proper  sense 
of  their  duty,  will  act  their  part  with  propriety  and  fidelity, 
nothing  more  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  do  than  would  com- 
port with  amusement  and  that  exercise  which  is  conducive  to 
health.  Nor  is  it  my  wish  that  you  should  live  in  too  parsimo- 
nious a  manner.  Frugality  and  economy  are  undoubtedly  com- 
mendable, and  all  that  is  required.  Happily  for  this  country, 
these  virtues  prevail  more  and  more  every  day  among  all  classes 
of  citizens.  I  have  heard  of,  and  I  have  seen  with  pleasure,  a 
remarkable  change  in  the  mode  of  living  from  what  it  was  a 
year  or  two  ago ;  and  nothing  but  the  event,  which  I  dreaded 
would  take  place  soon,  has  prevented  my  following  the  example. 
Indeed,  necessity,  if  this  had  not  happened,  would  have  forced 
me  into  the  measure,  as  my  means  are  not  adequate  to  the  ex- 
pense at  which  I  have  lived  since  my  retirement  to  what  is  called 
private  life.  Sincerely  wishing  you  health  and  happiness,  I  am 
ever  your  warm  friend  and  affectionate  uncle. 

A  VIEW  OF  THE  WORK  AT  THE  8EVEBAL  PLANTATIONS  AT  MOUNT  VERNON, 
IN  THE  YEAR  ITW,  AND  GENERAL  DIRECTIONS  FOE  THE  EXECUTION  OF  IT. 

From  the  plans  of  the  plantations,  from  the  courses  of  the 
crops,  which  are  annexed  to  these  plans,  and  from  the  mode  of 
managing  them  as  there  prescribed,  may  be  derived  a  full  and 
comprehensive  view  of  my  designs,  after  the  rotation  is  once 
perfectly  established  in  the  succession  that  is  proposed.  But,  as 
this  cannot,  at  all  the  plantations,  bo  adopted  this  year,  every- 
thing in  the  meantime  must  be  made  to  tend  to  it,  against  the 
next,  as  far  as  circumstances  will  admit. 

MT7DDT-H0LE   FARM. 

The  ploughs  belonging  to  this  plantation,  together  with  those 
from  Dogue  Bun,  are  to  continue  without  interruption  or  delay, 
when  not  prevented  by  frost  or  rain,  to  break  up  field  No.  5  for 
Indian  com.  And,  when  this  is  accomplished,  next  to  break  up 
No.  4  for  buckwheat,  which  is  to  be  sewed  in  April,  and  ploughed 


600  APPENDIX. 

in  before  haryest,  as  a  manure  for  the  crop  of  wheat,  which  is 
to  be  sown  therein  in  the  month  of  August  next,  after  these 
ploughings  are  performed. 

Then,  as  there  is  no  field  at  this  plantation  which  can  with 
convenience  be  appropriated  for  spring  grain,  or  for  the  crop  of 
sundries  this  year,  and  as  the  ploughs  at  Dogue  Bun,  especially 
if  the  winter  should  prove  hard  and  unfavorable,  will  not  be  able, 
of  themselves,  to  break  up  fields  No.  4  and  No.  6  at  their  own 
plantation,  and  at  the  same  time  prepare  those  of  No.  3  for  bar- 
ley and  oats,  and  No.  7  for  Indian  corn,  in  due  season,  the  whole 
may  go  to  Dogue  Run,  till  the  com  at  Muddy-Hole  shall  want 
them,  and  work  in  No.  6,  if  the  condition  of  it  is  such  as  to  ad- 
mit thereof — or  in  No.  4  at  the  same  place,  if  it  is  not  ^  for  the 
respective  crops  which  are  designed  for  them. 

The  fence  on  the  ferry  road,  from  the  division  between  the 
fields  No.  4  and  No.  5  to  the  lane  on  the  mill  road,  must  be  re- 
paired with  new  rails ;  but  from  thence  to  the  gate  leading  to 
the  bam  from  the  overseer's  house  it  should  be  made  tolerably 
secure  with  rails,  which  may  be  taken  from  the  opposite  side. 

As  the  days  are  short,  walking  bad,  and  the  diffi»*ent  kinds  of 
stock  will  require  careful  attendance,  it  may,  perhaps,  be  best  to 
relinquish  the  idea  of  the  people  of  this  place  having  anything 
further  to  do  with  the  new  ground  at  the  Mansion  House ;  and 
when  not  employed,  in  open  weather,  with  their  fencing,  to  be 
threshing  out  grain.  .  But  there  is  a  work  of  great  importance, 
if  the  weather  and  other  circumstances  would  concur  for  the  ex- 
ecution of  it  in  season.  I  mean  that  of  getting  up  rich  mud  from 
the  most  convenient  part  of  the  creek,  and  laying  it  in  small 
heaps,  for  amelioration,  to  be  carried  over  the  poor  parts  of 
No.  5,  which  will  be  in  com.  If  this  last-mentioned  work  can 
be  accomplished  (and  it  must  be  done  soon,  if  any  effect  is  ex- 
pected from  it  this  year,  in  order  that  the  frost  may  have  time 
to  operate),  the  cart  may  be  employed  in  hauling  it  to  the 
ground. 

Another  piece  of  work  to  be  done  here  (as  I  propose  to  make 
a  small  quantity  of  tobacco  at  this  as  well  as  my  other  planta- 


AGRICULTURAL  DIRECTIONS   BY   WASHINGTON.  601 

tions),  is  to  bill  the  gFound  that  is  marked  off  for  it  in  time. 
Bat,  previous  to  hilling,  it  must  be  laid  off  with  the  plough  into 
three-feet  squares,  that  the  hills  may  be  made  directly  on  the 
cross ;  so  that,  in  the  early  stages  of  the  growth  of  the  tobacco, 
it  may  be  tended  with  a  plough  each  way. 

If  these  several  kinds  of  work  should  not  afford  sufficient  em- 
ployment for  the  hoe  people,  with  the  cultivation  of  the  ground, 
which  will  be  marked  out  for  potatoes  and  carrots,  and  which 
ought  to  be  ploughed  up  immediately,  they  may  be  preparing 
field  No.  6,  on  the  creek,  for  corn  in  1790.  In  the  execution  of 
this  work,  the  cedar-trees  are  not  to  be  cut  down,  but  trimmed 
only,  and  other  trees  left  here  and  there  for  shades.  The  brush 
and  rubbish,  of  all  sorts,  are  to  be  be  thrown  into  the  gullies 
and  covered  over,  so  as  to  admit  the  ploughs  to  pass. 

Both  parts  of  field  No.  1  should  from  this  time  be  withheld 
from  stock  of  all  kinds,  that  there  may  be,  in  the  spring,  early 
food  for  the  ewes,  lambs,  and  calves.  Field  No.  8,  now  in  wheat 
and  rye,  must  be  sown  with  clover  and  timothy  on  the  first  snow 
that  falls,  six  pints  of  the  first  and  two  of  the  latter  per  acre. 

DOGUE-RUN  FARM. 

The  ploughs  belonging  to  this  plantation,  when  they  have  per- 
formed what  has  already  been  directed  for  them  at  Muddy  Hole, 
together  with  those  of  the  latter,  are  to  begin,  if  the  ground 
will  admit  of  it,  to  break  up  No.  6  for  buckwheat,  to  be  sown  in 
April.  But  if  this,  on  account  of  the  levelness  of  the  field  and 
the  water  which  may  stand  on  it,  can  not  be  done,  then  plough 
No.  4  for  the  crop  of  sundries.  But,  as  it  is  of  essential  import- 
ance that  the  oats  and  barley  should  be  sown  early,  and  the 
working  of  the  fields  for  Indian  com  not  so  much  delayed  as  to 
endanger  the  prospect  for  that  crop,  the  ploughings  of  both  No.  6 
and  No.  4  must  be  delayed,  at  least,  till  the  oats  and  barley  are 
in,  if  they  can  not  be  broken  up  in  season  for  the  above  purposes. 
The  oats  ought  to  be  sown  in  February,  next  the  post-and-rail 
fence ;  and  the  barley  as  soon  after  as  possible  on  the  other  side 


602  APPENDIX. 

adjoining  the  corn.  With  both,  clover  and  timothy,  in  the  pro- 
portions already  mentioned,  are  to  be  sown. 

After  the  above  work  is  accomplished,  it  will  be  time  to  cross- 
plough  and  sow  such  parts  of  No.  4  as  are  intended  for  carrots, 
and  this  is  to  be  done  in  drills  four  feet  asunder ;  and,  if  the 
ground  is  dry  enough,  in  the  montii  of  March,  and  for  flax,  which 
should  be  sown  in  April. 

Bj  the  time  these  are  done,  possibly  before  it,  the  fields  for 
corn  will  want  listing.  This  com,  in  the  south  part  of  the  field, 
next  to  the  woods,  may  be  planted  at  five  feet  each  way,  with 
two  stalks  in  a  hill,  and  in  the  north  part,  next  to  Colonel  Ma- 
son^s,  at  four  feet  each  way,  with  one  stalk  in  a  hill.  The 
ploughings  and  harrowings  necessary  for  which,  without  going 
into  detail  with  respect  to  the  manner  and  times,  must  be  given 
when  wanted. 

The  sowing  of  buckwheat  in  April  for  manure  seems  to  be  the 
next  thing  which  calls  for  the  ploughs,  because  it  ought  to  be 
in  the  ground  as  soon  as  all  danger  of  frost  is  over,  that  it  may 
be  in  the  proper  state  (full  bloom)  for  ploughing  in  before  harvest. 

After  buckwheat,  pease  will  come  next,  and  the  ground  for 
these,  as  for  the  tobacco,  must  be  laid  off  in  squares  for  hilling, 
that  they  may,  before  they  begin  to  run  and  spread,  be  ploughed 
each  way.    They  ought  to  be  planted  in  May. 

Pumpkins,  potatoes,  turnips,  and  buckwheat  for  a  crop,  in  the 
order  they  are  mentioned,  will  next  claim  the  assistance  of  the 
ploughs.  The  first  should  be  planted  in  May,  in  hills  eight  feet 
apart  and  well  manured ;  the  second  in  June,  in  drills  four  feet 
apart  and  a  foot  asunder  in  the  rows,  with  a  large  handful  of 
manure  on  each  potato,  which  should  be  uncut  and  of  the  largest 
sort ;  the  third — that  is,  turnips — to  be  sown  partly  in  June  and 
partly  in  July  ;  and  the  fourth,  buckwheat,  as  near  as  may  be  to 
the  10th  of  July. 

This  field  of  sundries  may  be  thus  apportioned :  Carrots,  five 
acres;  potatoes,  five;  pumpkins,  one;  turnips,  one;  pease,  fif- 
teen ;  flax,  three ;  tobacco,  five ;  buckwheat,  thirty-five ;  being 
seventy  acres  in  all. 


AGRICULTURAL  DIREGTI0N8  BT  WASHINQTON.  603 

That  it  may  be  ascertained,  by  repeated  experiments,  whether 
carrots  or  potatoes  are  the  most  productive  and  yaluable  root,  I 
would  have  the  ten  acres  allotted  for  them  in  one  square,  and 
the  rows  for  each  alternate  through  the  whole  square,  and  each 
to  have  the  same  quantity  of  manure  allowed  to  it. 

The  work  which  has  been  mentioned  for  the  ploughs,  together 
with  the  ploughing  in  of  the  buckwheat  before  harvest,  the  wheat 
after  harvest,  with  the  workings  of  the  several  species  of  crops 
during  their  growth,  is  all  the  employment  that  can  be  recol- 
lected at  present  for  this  part  of  the  force  of  the  plantation,  until 
the  autumn  ploughing  for  the  next  year's  crop  commences.  But 
as  these — till  tl^e  system  is  brought  more  into  practice,  and  the 
preceding  crop  is  a  better  preparation  of  the  ground  for  the  suc- 
ceeding one  than  is  the  case  at  present — will  require  much  exer- 
tion and  an  addition  of  ploughs,  one  may  be  added  to  the  num- 
ber at  Dogue  Bun,  which  will  make  five  there  ;  and  another  at 
Muddy  Hole,  which  will  make  four  there. 

Much  fencing  is  necessary  at  this  plantation  before  it  can  be 
said  to  be  advantageously  laid  off,  and  in  good  order.  That 
which  requires  to  be  first  done,  is  the  one  which  divides  field 
No.  4  from  the  meadow ;  but,  as  the  rails  which  are  about  the 
stacks  will  be  most  convenient  for  this  work,  it  may  be  delayed 
until  they  can  be  spared.  In  the  meantime,  no  heavy  stock  must 
run  in  that  field  to  trample  and  poach  the  meadow. 

The  next  that  requires  doing,  is  the  line  from  the  head  of  the 
meadow  to  the  new  road,  which  is  to  be  laid  off  thence  with  the 
road  to  the  tumbling  dam,  and  thence  round  field  No.  7,  agree- 
ably to  the  ploughing,  and  the  rails  which  have  been  laid  there. 

Next  after  these,  the  cross-fence  between  field  No.  5  and  the 
wood  should  be  done ;  and  then  the  fence,  which  was  begun  last 
year,  but  not  finished,  between  fields  No.  2  and  No.  8.  The 
fence  which  divides  the  first  of  these  —  that  is,  No.  2  —  from  the 
great  meadow,  requires  doing  also.  All  these  are  essential ;  as 
it  also  is  to  strengthen  the  post-and-rail  fence  which  divides 
No.  1  from  No.  2  and  No.  3  ;  but,  as  this  never  can  be  made  a 
good  one  until  the  whole  is  taken  down  and  both  posts  and  i*ails 


604  APFWDBL 

shortened,  it  must  be  postponed  till  diere  is  time  to  do  this — 
rightiog  up  la  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it  answer  for  the  pree- 
enty  b^g  all  that  can  be  attempted  this  year. 

Lastly,  when  time  will  admit,  after  the  posting  and  railing 
from  the  tumbling  dam  to  the  mill  is  completed,  the  rails,  which 
at  present  run  upon  that  line,  may  serve  to  separate  the  great 
meadow  into  three  divisions,  as  will  be  marked  out. 

Everything  that  the  hoe  people  can  do  in  the  course  of  the 
winter  toward  getting  the  old  crop  off  hand,  and  preparing  for 
the  new  one,  ought  to  be  the  first  object  of  consideration,  and 
must  be  closely  attended  to.  Carrying  out  manure,  when  the 
cart  can  be  spared  and  the  ground  is  in  order  for  its  receptio^^ 
either  for  carrots,  potatoes,  tobacco,  or  other  things,  is  not  to  be 
neglected.  Grubbing  and  filling  up  gullies,  in  the  fields  which 
are  to  receive  crops  this  year,  is  also  essential ;  and,  if  these 
should  not  afford  sufficient  employment,  the  overplus  time  may 
be  spent  in  clearing  swamps,  or  the  sides  of  them,  so  that  thej 
may  hereafter,  when  drained  efiectually,  be  tended  in  tobacco 
previous  to  their  being  laid  down  in  grass. 

At  this  place  I  propose  to  plant  about  thirty  thousand  tobacco- 
plants,  in  field  No.  4,  round  the  houses  and  stacks,  where  thoy 
will  be  most  convenient  to  the  manure ;  and,  where  the  ground 
is  not  very  rich,  I  would  join  a  gallon  or  a  large  double  handful 
of  manure  to  each  hill.  The  ground  for  the  crop  ought  to  be 
broken  up  early,  either  with  the  ploughs  or  hoes,  that  the  green 
sward  may  have  time  to  rot.  If  thirty  thousand  hills  can  not  be 
got  here,  the  deficiency  may  be  made  up  by  the  gate  that  goes 
into  field  No.  5. 

RITEB  FARM. 

Early  and  good  ploughing  at  this  place  is  indispensably  neces- 
sary. The  field  No.  7,  intended  for  spring  grain  —  that  is,  bar- 
ley and  oats  —  would,  if  justice  were  done  to  it,  call  for  a  second 
or  cross  ploughing  by  the  time  the  ploughs  will  begin  to  break  it 
up.  Consequently,  field  No.  1,  designed  for  com,  will  hardly 
get  more  than  a  listing ;  and  the  field  No.  4  which  ought  to  have 


AGBICULTURAL   DIBECTIOI^  BT   WASHINGTON.  605 

receired  a  crop  of  sundries,  must  go  altogether  uncultiyated  this 
year. 

After  field  No.  7  is  sown  with  barley,  oats,  and  grass-seed  — 
the  latter  in  the  proportion  mentioned  in  thp  other  places,  if  the 
preparation  of  No.  1  for  com  can  not  be  postponed,  without  in- 
Yolving  injurious  consequences  to  that  crop  —  the  ploughs  must 
go  there  next,  and  do  all  that  is  necessary  for  getting  it  planted 
in  time,  and  in  good  order. 

But,  as  I  do  not  mean  to  plant  potatoes  or  carrots  among  com 
this  year,  as  was  the  case  last  year,  inclining  to  allot  separate 
spots  for  this  purpose,  these  spots,  and  that  which  is  intended 
for  tobacco,  ought  to  be  immediately  ploughed ;  that  the  weeds 
and  grass,  where  there  are  any,  may  have  time  to  rot,  and  the 
ground  be  in  order  to  receive  manure.  The  spot  which  I  would 
principally  appropriate  for  carrots  and  potatoes,  is  that  whereon 
the  flax  grew  last  year ;  but  if  more  can  be  conveniently  obtained 
elsewhere,  it  ought  to  be  had,  as  that  spot  is  insufficient.  The 
ground  for  tobacco  (forty  thousand  plants)  I  mean  to  lay  off  in 
a  long  square,  from  the  farm-pen  up  to  field  No.  2,  which,  when 
ploughed  and  checkered,  will  be  ready  to  receive  manure  at  times 
when  the  carts  can  with  convenience  carry  it  out. 

All  the  ploughings,  which  are  here  enumerated,  being  accom- 
plished, the  season  probably  will  have  arrived  when  No.  8  will 
require  to  be  cross-ploughed,  and  sowed  with  buckwheat  for 
manure  in  April.  This  is,  in  all  respects,  to  be  managed  as  has 
been  directed  for  Dogue  Run,  and  after  harvest  is  to  receive 
wheat,  in  August,  as  there  mentioned. 

These,  with  the  necessary  workings  of  the  several  species  of 
crops,  which  must  not  be  neglected,  will,  it  is  presumed,  give 
sufficient  employment  for  the  ploughs.  If  not,  there  can  be  no 
difficulty  in  finding  work  for  them. 

Much  fencing  is  wanting  on  this  plantation  before  it  can  be  in 
the  order  I  wish  to  see  it ;  but,  among  the  most  essential  of  these, 
is  the  fence  which  is  to  enclose  field  No.  1  for  com ;  that  which 
runs  from  the  second  gate,  going  into  the  plantation,  to  the 
creek,  dividing  my  land  from  Oolonel  Ma80!>'s ;  and  that  which 


606  APPENDIX. 

is  to  form  the  lane,  whieh  is  to  lead  from  the  bam  into  the  lane 
which  now  goes  to  Johnson's,  and  which  must  continue  the  other 
way,  so  as  to  open  a  commnnication  with  the  fields  No  1,  No.  2, 
No.  8,  and  No.  4.  ^As  timber  is  very  scarce  on  this  tract,  it 
must,  in  fencing  as  well  as  in  other  things,  be  made  to  go  as  far 
as  possible ;  consequently,  posts  and  rails,  of  a  good  and  sub- 
stantial kind,  must  be  substituted  instead  of  the  usual  kind  of 
worm-fences. 

To  point  out  all  the  work  for  the  hoe  people  of  this  plantation, 
is  unnecessary.  To  finish  the  old,  and  to  prepare  for  the  new 
crop ;  to  put  up  fences  ;  to  heap  up  manure  early,  that  it  may 
get  well  and  soon  rotted ;  to  carry  it  out,  and  to  lay  it  in  the 
furrows  intended  for  carrots  and  potatoes,  and  on  the  ground 
intended  for  tobacco ;  making  hills  for  the  tobacco ;  grubbing 
and  filling  gullies  in  the  fields,  which  are  to  receiye  crops  this 
year,  with  old  rails,  old  stumps,  old  trees,  and  such  other  rubbish 
as  can  be  had  conveniently ;  levelling  the  bank  on  which  a  fence 
formerly  ran  through  field  No.  8 — will,  with  the  cultivation  of 
the  crops  that  will  be  planted  and  sown,  and  gathering  them  in, 
compose  the  greater  part,  if  not  all,  of  their  labor.  But,  if 
there  should,  notwithstanding,  be  time  for  other  things,  I  know 
of  nothing  in  which  they  could  be  more  advantageously  em- 
ployed than  in  getting  up  rich  mud  from  the  branches  in  field 
No.  8,  to  spread  over  the  poor  and  washed  parts  of  that  field, 
before  it  is  sown  in  wheat  next  August. 

MANSION-HOUSE  FARM. 

The  ditchers,  after  the  post-and-rail  fence,  which  they  are  now 
about,  to  the  tumbling  dam  is  completed,  and  a  strong  one  put 
up  across  the  mill  run,  as  will  be  marked  ofiT,  may  continue  on 
to  the  mill  by  the  line  of  stakes  which  will  be  set  up ;  but  they 
are  not  to  use  for  this  purpose  those  posts  which  were  got  by 
Marley's  house,  as  they  will  be  more  convenient  for  the  lane 
which  is  to  form  the  new  road  from  the  ferry  by  the  mill,  as 
authorized  by  the  court.  After  this  work  is  performed,  it  will 
be  time  enough  to  point  out  more. 


AGRICULTURAL  DIRBaHONS  BY  WASHINGTON.  607 

To  say  what  the  other  part  of  the  force  at  this  place  shall  be 
employed  about,  is  next  to  impossible,  since  there  is  such  a  va- 
riety of  jobs  for  them  to  attend  to,  besides  fishing,  hay-making, 
and  the  grain-harvest  in  their  respective  seasons,  which  must 
unavoidably  employ  them  while  they  last. 

But,  as  it  is  designed  to  raise  tobacco,  and  to  tend  in  corn 
that  part,  at  least,  of  the  new  ground  in  front  of  the  house, 
which  was  cleared  last  year,  in  order  that  it  may  be  laid  down  in 
the  fall  in  wheat  and  orchard  grass,  they  must  prepare  for  them 
accordingly,  and,  under  the  circumstances  above-mentioned, 
attempt  as  much  of  the  first  —  that  is,  tobacco  —  as  there  is  a 
moral  certainty  of  their  tending  well.  The  men  may  be  em- 
ployed in  getting  posts  and  rails  of  a  good  kind  for  the  purpose 
.  of  enclosing  this  tobacco.  But  it  is  essential,  if  any  labor  is 
expected  from  the  girls  and  boys  who  are  about  this  house,  to 
keep  some  person  with  them,  who  will  not  only  make  them  work, 
but  who  will  see  that  the  work  is  well  executed,  and  that  the 
idleness  which  they  appear  every  day  in  the  practice  of  may  be 
avoided. 


608 


APPBNBIZ. 


FIBST  BTATESfBNT  OF  THE  CROPS  IN  1T89. 


Corn ;  375  acres.     1  plonghing  in  the  fall  of  1788    . 

Listinj^  the  field  in  March,  about  }  of  the  above  work    . 
Opening  the  farrows  in  April,  |  of  the  last  work 
Breaking  up  the  balks  in  May,  {  of  the  whole 
Piou^liing       do.       in  June,  do.        do. 
Do.  do.       in  July,  do.        do. 

Three  times  harrowed  do.        do.     each  281 

Rje ;  375  acres.    Once  ploughed  for  seeding  in  September 

Once  harrowed  do. 

Buckwheat ;  375  acres.    One  ploughing  after  Rje  comes  off 
One      do.        in  April    . 

Three  harrowings,  1  before,  and  2  after  sowing 
Wheat;  375  acres.    Ploughing  in  Buckwheat  in  June 

Do.    seeding  ground  with  Wheat  in  August 

One  harrowing  after  sowinjr   . 
One  ploughing  in  the  fall  of  1788     . 
in  Pease  ploughed  into  three-feet  ridges  in  April 
Checkered,  about  }  of  above  work  in  April 
234    do.    in  Buckwheat  for  a  crop,  plouflrhed  in  April 

Do.     1st  July 
Three  times  harrowed  1st  of  July 
Scarcity  ploughed  in  March 
do.  May 

do.  July  . 

Pumpkins,  ploughed  in  March 
do.  May    . 

do.  July 

Flax,  ploughed  in  March   . 
do.  April 


Sundries ;  375  acres, 
75    do. 


8    do. 


8   do. 


20    do. 


Barley ;  375  acres. 


Three  times  harrowed 
First  ploughing  January  or  February 
Second    do.       February  or  March 
Three  times  harrowed 


R.r- 

Kata. 

AevM. 

lovad. 

375 

94 

31 

281 

281 

281 

1343 
281 

843 
281 

375 

375 

750 

1125 

375 

375 

750 

375 

375 

75 

19 

234 

234 

702 

8 

8 

8 

8 

8 

8 

20 

20 

1025 

60 

375 

375 

750 

1125 

4899 

4511 

Of  the  above  Work, 


Between  the  Ist  of  October  and  Christmas,  Com  amounU  to  .        .375 

Buckwheat     '* 

"       .        375 

Sundries 

.    375 

1125 

In  January  and  February,  Barley,  first  ploughing 

,        , 

375 

February  and  May           do.     second    " 
March,  listing  for  Com  as  above 

,        , 

375 

1125 

94 

Ploughing  first  time  for  Root  of  Scarcity 

8 

Do.           do.            Flax      . 

20 

Do.           do.            Pumpkins 

.    '    8 

Carried  over. 

130 

2005 

1125 

AOBICOLTUKAL  DOeOIIONS  BT  WASHINQTON. 


609 


April,  second  ploaghing  for  Flax 


Broagfat  over, 


Do. 


Mar.. 


PeaM,  in  three-feet  ridges 
Do.  checkered    . 
Opening  Com  lists  for  planting 
Buckwheat  for  manore 
Do.        for  seed 
Pumpkins,  second  ploughing,  8 ;  Root  of  Bcanilj,  8 

Breaking  balks  between  Com 

June,  ploughing  Com  second  time 

Do.       Buckwheat  for  mannre       .        .        .        . 
Jnlj,  Buckwheat  for  seed        ...... 

Third  ploughing  of  Cora 

Third      do.  Boot  of  Scardtj,  8 ;  Pumpkins,  8 

August,  Wheat 

September,  Bye 


Bar- 

AcrwL 

AcrMi 

row«d. 

2005 

1125 

20 

60 

75 

19 

31 

875 

520 

1125 

234 

16 

281 

531 

281 

281 

281 

376 

656 

234 

702 

281 

281 

1€ 

531 

375 

375 

281 

281 

4899 

4511 

ResiuUa  of  the  First  Statement. 


Db. 

Cb. 

£   $.d. 

£   s.cf. 

For  375  bushels  Bye  for  seed. 

By  5625  bushels  Cora,  at  3s.  . 

843    0  0 

atSc    .... 

56     5  0 

5625    do.    Rye,  3s. 

843     0  0 

375  bushels  Buckwheat  for 

5625    do.    PoUtoes,ls.  . 

281     5  0 

seed,  at  2s.    . 

37  10  0 

4500    do.    Barley,  3s.  6<f. 

787     0  0 

375  do.  Wheat,  do.  5s.     . 

93  15  0 

3750    do.    Wheat,  5s.     . 

937  10  0 

750  do.  Barley,  do.  3s.  6(f. 
Sundries,  y».: 

131     5  0 

Sundries,  Yiz. : 

1404  bushels  Buckwheat, 

75  bush.  Pease  for  seed. 

at  2s 

140    8  0 

at4s 

15    0  0 

375  do.  Pease,  4s.    . 

75    0  0 

'284  do.  Buckwheat,  2s.    . 

23     8  0 

100  do.  Flax-seed,  3s.  ^. 

17  10  0 

.30  do.  Flax,  3s.  6(f. 

5     5  0 

Dressed  Flax. 

3750  lbs.  Clover-seed,  %d.  . 

125     0  0 

Buckwheat,  375   acres 

3120  bushels  of  Com  for 

for  manure 

negroes,  at  3s.     . 

468    0  0 

- 

2750  bushels  of  Rye   for 

3924  13  0 

horses,  3s.    . 

412  10  0 

375  acres  Clover  20s.    . 

375 

100  do.  Salt,  2s.  6</. 

12  10  0 

~ 

(      330  gallons  Rum,  2s. 
750  bushels   of  potatoes. 

33  00  0 

4299  13  0 

100  thousand    Tobacco 

for  seed.  Is. 

37  10  0 

hills,  20  hhds.  £7  10s. 
£ 

150 

£1450  18  0 

4440  13  0 

BBCOND  STATEMENT  OF  0B0P8  IN  1789. 


Cora;  375  acres.    Same  in  all  respects  as  No.  1       .        .        . 
Buckwheat;  375  acres.    First  ploughing  in  April . 

Second  do.        last  of  June 

Three  harrowings  .        .        . 

Wheat ;  375  acres.    One  ploughing  after  the  Buckwheat  is  cut 

Two  harrowings 

Sundries ;  375  acres. '  The  same  as  No.  1         .        .        .        . 
Barley ;  375  acres.    The  same  as  No.  1 


875 
.  375 


89 


1343 

750 

375 

1025 
750 

4243 


843 


1125 


4605 


610 


APPENDIX. 


Of  the  above  Work, 


One  ploaghing  for  Corn,  1788 

Pali,  one  ploughing  for  Snndriet,  do 

January  and  February,  first  plonghing  for  Bftriey    ....  875 

Pebmary  and  March,  uoond      do.              do 375 

Bfarch,  listtnff  for  Com 94 

plon^ng  first  time  for  Boot  of  Scarcity     '    .       .       .  8 

Bo.           do.            Flax 20 

Do.           do.            Pumpkins 8 

April,  second  ploughing  for  FUx 20 

Do.            Pease,  in  three-feet  ridges  75 

Do.            checkered 19 

Opening  Com  lists 31 

Pirst  ploughing  for  Buckwheat  for  a  crop     ....  375 

May,  first  ploughing  of  Buckwheat  among  the  sundries  234 

Pumpkins,  second  ploughing,  8  acres ;  Scarcity,  8  do.  .  16 

ploughing  balks  between  Cora,  first  time  ....  981 

June,  ploughing  Cora  second  time 281 

second  do.  of  Buckwheat 875 

July,  the  same 284 

Cora  third  time 281 

thud  ploughing  for  Scarcity,  8 ;  for  Pumpkins,  8         .        .  16 

Angost,  plooghing  for  Wheat 


375 
375 


750 


130 


520 


581 


656 


581 
875 


4243 


1125 


60 


281 
281 

1125 
702 
281 


750 


4605 


ResuUs  of  the  Second  Statement. 


Dr. 


For  875  bushels  of  Ba^wheat 
for  seed,  2s.  . 
375  do.  seed  Wheat,  5s.    . 
Sundries,  viz. : 
75  bushels  Pease,  4«. 
284  do.  Buckwheat,  2$,     . 
80  do.  Flax-seed,  Z$.  ^. . 
750  do.  Barley,  3s.  Bd,      . 
3750  lbs.  Clover-seed,  Sd,  . 
3120  bushels  of  Cora,  8s.   . 
2750     do.  Rye,  3s.    . 

100     do.  Salt,2f.6(f. 

330  gallons  Rum,  2s. 
750  bushels  Potatoes  for 
seed,  Is.      .       .       . 


£  $.d. 

87  10  0 
93  15  0 


15 

23 

5 

131 

125 

468 


0  0 

8  0 

5  0 

5  0 

0  0 

0  0 


412  10  0 
12  10  0 
33    0  0 

37  10  0 


£1394  13  0 


Cr. 

£  M.d. 
By  5625  bushels  of  Com,  8s.   843    0  0 
5625    do.      PoUtoes,  Is.  281    5  0 
Buckwheat  ploughed  in  for 

manure. 
3750  bushels  Wheat,  5s.    .  937  10  0 

Sundries,  viz. : 

375  bushels  of  Pease,  4s.    75    0  0 

1404    do.  Buckwheat,  2s.   140    8  0 

4500    do.  Bariey,  3s.  6<f.    787    0  0 

100    do.  Flax-seed,  Ss.6<f.  17  10  0 


Dressed  Flax. 
375  acres  Clover,  20tf. 
375  do.      do.      do. 


£3081  13  0 


875 
875 


00 
0  0 


£3831  18  0 


JIOBIOULTURAL  DIKBOTIONS  BT  WASHINGTON. 


6H 


THIBD  BTATEMEirr  OF  0B0P8  IN  1789. 


Corn ;  375  acies.    The  tame  as  No.  1  antl  No.  3      .        .       .        .  1343 

Barley ;  375  acrea.        do.           do.            do 750 

Buckwheat;  375  acrei.    Ploughed  in  fall,  in  March  and  April,  1125 
Wheat;  375  acres.    Ploaghed  in  Jane,  to  cover  Backwheat  and  Com 

in  Aagnst      . 750 

Flax ;  20  acres.    Ploughed  twice  —  harrowed  three  times  ...  40 

4008 


843 
1125 
1125 

375 
60 

3528 


Of  the  above  WorlCy 


Fall,  one  ploughing  for  Com,  1788 375 

Do.             Buckwheat,  do 375 

Januarf  and  Febmaxy,  first  plongfaiDg  for  Barley    ....  375 

February  and  March,  second     do.             do 375 

March,  listing  for  Com 94 

Second  ploughing  for  Buckwheat      .....  375 

First       do.            Flax 20 

April,  second     do.              do 20 

Third  do.               Buckwheat 375 

Opening  Com  lists 31 

May,  breaking  up  the  balks  between  Com 

Jane,  second  ploughing  of  Com  .......  281 

Ploughing  in  Backwheat 375 

July,  ploughing  Com  the  third  time     .              ....  281 

Flongliing  for  Wheat  or  Backwheat 875 


750 
750 

489 


426 
281 


656 
656 


4008 


1125 


60 
750 


281 
281 


281 

750 

3528 


RmUs  of  Third  Statement. 


Dr. 

£  i.d. 
For  750  bushels  of  Bariey  for 

seed,  at  3s.  6<f.      .        .  131  15  0 

375  do.  Buckwheat,  2«.     .    37  10  0 

376  do.  Wheat,  6t.    .        .    93  15  0 
3750  lbs.  Clorer^eed,  Bd,  .125  0  0 

80  bushels  of  Flax-seed  .      5  5  0 

8120     do.           Cora,  3s.   .468  0  0 

2750     do.  Bye  for  horses  .  412  10  0 

100     do.  Salt,2f.6<f.       .    12  10  0 

380  eallons  of  Rum,  St.   .    33  10  0 

750  bushels  Potatoes  for 

seed.  Is.      .       .       .     37  10  0 


£1857    5  0 


Ce. 


By  5625  bushels  of  Com,  3s. 
6625    do.  Potatoes,  Is. 
4500    do.  Barley,  8s.  6<f. 
3750    do.  Wheat,  5s. . 
Buckwheat  for  manure 
100  bush.  Flax-seed,  3«.6(/.  17  10  0 


£  s,d. 
843  0  0 
281  5  0 
787  0  0 
937  10  0 


375  acres  Clorer,  20s. 
375  do.  do.  do. 
375  do.      do.      do. 


£2866     5  0 

.  375 
.  375 
.    375 

£3091     5  0 


612 


AtP&tOL 


MANA«BB'8  WBBKLT  SBPO»r.« 
Apbil  14,  1792. 


AmilBA  . 

"    9th  . 

"  loth  . 

"  nth  . 

"  lath  . 

"  \M    . 

"  14M    . 

Dr. 

Maksiok-Housb  Fash  for  the  work  of  12  men,  6  boji,  and  4  giili, 
amoantingf  per  week  to  .....  . 


MeteoroU^ical  Table. 

MovniDf.                              Noon. 

Ilicfat 

E.  Clear. 

8.  E.  Rain. 

S.W.  Cloudy. 
58       E.  Rain. 
57  N.  E.  Rain. 
52  N.  E.  Cloudy. 
54  N.W.  Cloudy. 

S.  E.  Cloudy. 

S.  E.  Cloudy. 

S.W.  Rain. 

S.  E.  Rain. 
56  N.E.  Hard  Rain. 
56  N.  E.Rain. 
58N.W.Clondy. 

S.  E.  Rain. 

S.  E.  Cloudy. 
60  S.  E.Rain. 
58   S.  E.Rain. 
54  N.E.  Cloudy. 
58  N.E.  Rain. 
52  N.W.Clear. 

Cb. 

By  a  wagon  hauling  posts  and  rail*  to  Femr-Bam  lane 

By  do.  hauling  hay  1,  stocks  1,  timber  for  snafts  for  carlB  sod  moTing  pttk 

raib  1   ......... 

By  hauling  6  barrels  salt  to  Major  Washington's  landing,  and  bringteg 

home  straw       ,......, 

By  carts  hauling  manure  from  Ferry  Bam  to  No.  2  French's 

By  cleaning  loose  manure  about  stables,  and  hauling  it  to  lot  intended  for 

lucerne  ........ 

By  hauling  com  from  Ttnj,  and  bran  and  meal  from  Mill  wood  to  Manslcna  . 
By  hauling  stones  to  repair  the  crossing-place  of  Mnddy-Kole  Swamp,  aft 

the  head  of  French's  meadow  ..... 

By  Old  Jack  in  care  of  granary  6,  Old  Frank  in  can  of  stock  6 

By  Peter,  in  care  of  mares,  mules,  and  jacks     .... 

By  Gunner  digging  brick^earth  3,  cutting  poles  to  build  a  brick  house  2     . 

By  putting  up  post-and-rail  fence  leading  to  Ferry  Bam 

By  nauling  seine,  cleaning,  striking,  and  packid^fish 

By  Easter  Monday         ....... 

By  sickness  Boatswain  6,  Mima  3,  Richmond  3,  Postilion  Joe  3,  Lynna  3, 

Sam  3  ......... 

Total 


1 

3 

1 
6 

5 

2 

2 

12 

6 

5 

5 

41 

22 

21 

132 


*  While  Washington  was  absent  from  home,  in  discharging  the  duties  of  Pies- 
ident  of  the  United  States,  it  was  his  custom  to  exact  from  the  manager  at  Mount 
Vemon,  once  in  each  week,  a  full  report  of  the  proceedings  on  all  the  farms,  llris 
paper  is  a  sample  of  those  reports.  In  the  meteorologicAl  table,  the  figures  denote 
the  state  of  the  thermometer,  and  the  initial  letters  the  direction  of  the  wind.  The 
design  of  this  table  was  to  communicate  a  knowledge  of  the  weather,  by  whidi  a  mors 
correct  judgment  could  be  fonned  of  the  amount  of  time  that  the  laborers  could  prop> 
erly  be  employed  at  their  work.  Each  report  was  accompanied  with  an  explana- 
tory letter  from  the  manager,  containing  other  particulan.  These  were  fegularly 
answered  once  a  week  by  the  President,  and  sometimes  oftener.  His  letters  fre- 
quently filled  two  or  tliree  sheets,  closely  written.  The  impolrCance  he  attached  to 
these  letters,  and  his  dillgenoo  in  preparing  them,  may  be  understood  from  the  fact 
that  he  first  made  rough  drafts,  which  were  copied  out  by  himself  in  a  fair  hand  be- 
fore they  were  sent  off.  Press-copies  were  then  taken,  which  he  presenred.  This 
habit  was  pursued,  without  intermission,  from  the  heginning  to  the  end  of  the  presi- 
dency.— Sparks. 


AGRICULTURAL  DIBJSOTiONB  BT  WASHINGTON.  $13l 

Increase  2  Calres  and  2  males.  Receired  fit>m  Mill,  22  bashels  of  Me«l»  an4 
99  bushels  of  Bran;  from  Feny,  8  barrels  of  Com.  Stocky  11  head  of  Cattl% 
4  Calves,  60  Sheep,  28  Lambf,  4  working  Mares,  4  do.  Horses,  5  Colts,  4  spring 
do.,  2  Jacks,  2  old  Jennies,  1  do.  three  yean  old,  1  do.  two  years  o\d,  1  do.  ono 
year  old,  15  Moles,  10  one  year  old,  2  spnng  do* ;  and  11  liares. 

Dr.  Dayi^ 

DHcfaers,  for  the  work  of  6  men,  amonntlng  per  week  to  .  .86 

Cr.  •  — 

By  Baths  and  Paschal  mortising  posts  1,  fencing  Ferry-Barn  now  lane  4  10 

By  Boatswain  and  Robin  manling  rails  1,  and  facing  as  abore  4  .  10 

3y  Charles  hanling  seine          .......  5 

By  Dandeo  sawing  trunneU  with  Dogne-Rnn  handa^           ...  5 

By  Easter  Monday        ........  6 

Total.  86 

N.  B.    There  has  been  almost  one  day  and  part  of  another  lost  by  rain  this  week. 

MuDDT-HoLB  Fabic  for  the  work  of  3  men  and  9  women,  amounting  per 
week  to 72 

Cr.  — 

By  listing  in  No.  2    .......           .  4 

By  a  cart  hanling  stakes  and  tmnnels  to  the  fence  between  Nos.  1  and  7  8 

By  hauling  rails  to  No.  1  Lane  fence    ......  I 

By  raising  the  bank  with  a  plough  and  hoes  between  No.  1  and  No.  7  11 

By  patting  up  fences  on  said  bank  19,  cutting  stakes  and.  tmnnels  for  do.  7  .  26 

By  taking  down  and  new  setting  the  Lane  fence  of  No.  1  .  7 

By  Easter  Monday        ........  12 

By  sickness,  Kate  8,  Amy  2,  Molly  8         ....           .  8 

Total       ...        72 

Received  from  Mill  6  bushels  of  Meal,  and  6  bushels  of  Bye  Meal.  —  Stock,  87 
head  of  cattle,  5  Calves,  80  Sheep,  8  working  Horses,  and  1  Mule. 

Da-  Dsy. 

Ferry  and  Frbnoh's  Farms  for  the  work  of  7  men,  16  women,  and  4  boys, 

amounting  per  week  to     .  ......      162 

Cr.  — 

By  listing  new  ground  in  French's  meadow     .  .16 

By  cartshauling stakes,  rails,  and trunnels  to  different fisnces  6 

By  hauling  manure  to  No.  2  French's  8 ;  hauling  com  to  Mill  1        .  .4 

By  repairing  fences,  .34 ;  burning  logs  and  brush  in  the  swamp  80  64 

By  heaping  manure  4,  beating  out  corn  4,  cutting  and  mauling  stakes  iM^d 

tmnnels  4      .  .12 

By  spinning  8,  hauling  seine  6,  French's  Tom  at  Mansion-Housc  ft  13 

By  Easter  Monday        ........        27 

By  sickness,  Doll  6,  Old  Daph  5,  Betty  4,  Rose  3,  Delia  2  .  .  20 

Total  162 

Increase,  2  Calves  and  6  Lambs.  Received  from  Mill,  12}  bushels  of  Meal,  sent 
do.  58  bushels  of  Cora.  To  Mansion-House  8  barrels  of  do.,  feed  to  Horses  1  bar- 
rel of  do.  —  Stock,  88  head  of  Cattle,  5  Calves,  186  She^,  60  Lambs,  16  working 
Horses,  and  2  Mules. 

Dr.  p,y^ 

Biter  Farm  for  the  work  of  9  men,  18  women,  and  1  girl,  funounting  per 
week  to 168 

Cr.  — 

By  listing  in  No.  6   ..•••••  •  10 

By  cartslianling  maaoro  or  do.  •  •  •  •  •  < 


614 


APPENDIX. 


S 

9 

6 

S4 

56 

ao 

S8 
6 

168 


By  haaling  nils  2,  goiog  to  Mill  I        .....  . 

Bj  loading  carte  with  manure  6,  catting  straw  3    . 

Bj  plashing  thorn-hedge  4,  repaiiing  the  bank  of  Lane  fence  No.  6, 3 

By  stopping  hog-hole  in  do.  6,  patting  op  new  fence  next  to  the  woods  of  do.  18 

By  cattiQg  corn-stalks,  and  getting  uem  off     . 

Lost  by  rain,  or  reiy  little  done      ...... 

By  Easter  Monday        ........ 

By  Cornelia  in  childbed       ..... 

Total 

Increase,  2  Calres.  Beceired  Arom  MUL  9|  bashels  of  Heal,  and  10  bashels  of 
Rjre  Meal.  —  Stock,  83  head  of  Cattle,  5  Calres,  221  Sheep,  45  Lambs,  4  working 
lures,  13  working  Horses,  and  1  Male 

I>oonB-Buir  Fabic  for  the  work  of  6  men,  8  women,  and  2  girls,  amoant- 
ing  per  week  to         ........       96 

Cb.  

By  listing  in  No.  2,  5,  by  plooghing  in  Mill  meadow  2      .           .           ,  7 

By  raising  a  bank  with  a  plough  and  hoes  in  Mill  meadow  for  the  fence  19 

By  sawing  trannels  5,  mauling  do.  5,  cutting  in  Mill  meadow  2    .  12 
By  repainng  fence  around  the  middle  meadow                                             .10 

By  repairing  fence  around  No.  3,  7,  by  spinning  2             .           .           .  9 

By  hauling  post  and  rails  to  Ferry-Bam,  new  lane     ....  5 

By  hauling  rails  to  Mill  meadow  fence      .....  3 

By  haaling  rails  to  the  middle  meadow  fence  .            ....  2 

By  Easter  Monday  ........  16 

By  sickness,  Qraoe  3,  McHly  3,  Sail  3,  Cicely  4           ....  13 

Total.  96 

Beceired  from  Mill,  6{  bushels  of  Meal.  — Stock,  57  head  of  Cattle,  1  Calf,  124 
Sheep,  9  working  Horses,  and  1  Mule. 

Db. 

JoiNBRS  AHD  Cabpbntbbs  for  the  work  of  6  men  and  2  boys,  amounting 
per  week  to  .......  . 

Cb. 

By  Thomas  Qreen  making  sashes  for  the  new  quarter .... 

By  Mahony  putting  up  the  berths  in  do.    . 

By  Isaac  making  and  mending  ploughs  4,  getting  ash  for  rake-handles  1 
By  Jam  makinga  new  cart  and  shafts,  and  getting  beach  stocks  for  planes 
By  Sambo  and  l)arid  sawing  gate-stuff  2,  getting  stocks  and  ash  for  rake- 
handles  6       ........  . 

By  Sambo  ripping  plank  on  accoant  of  rain 

By  Darid  with  Isaac  on  accoant  of  do. 

By  Joe  planing  plank         ....... 

By  Christopher  at  do.  4,  and  1  day  with  the  wagou    .... 

By  Easter  Monday  ........ 


48 


Total 


Dr.  BCiLL  rOB  SUHDBIBS. 

Con. 

Ferry  and  French's         .    53 
Toll  Com  receired  9| 

Total  receired  .    62i 

Toll  Com  ground  .        .    56 


Cb. 


By  Dogne-Bun  Plantation 
By  Birer  Plantatiou 
By  Muddy  Hole 
By  Ferry  and  French's  . 
By  Mansion-Honse 

Total  delirered 
By  Coopers  and  Miller 


MeaL 

Bran. 

6! 

n 

6 

121 

22 

29 

56f 

29 

1 

48 


Jty* 
MaaL 

10 
6 


16 


LEETS  FUNEBAL  ORATION  ON  WASHINGTON.  615 


NOTE   VI.-Page  861. 

OBATION  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  WASHINGTON, 

PBOVOTJNCED  BEFOBB  BOTH  HOUSES  OF  C0N0BE8S,  ON  DEOEMBEB  18,  1709 
BT  MAJOB-OENEBAL  HENBT  LEE. 

In  obedience  to  your  will,  I  rise,  your  humble  organ,  with  the 
hope  of  executing  a  part  of  the  system  of  public  mourning  which 
you  have  been  pleased  to  adopt,  commemorative  of  the  death  of 
the  most  illustrious  and  most  beloved  personage  this  country  has 
ever  produced ;  and  which,  while  it  transmits  to  posterity  your 
sense  of  the  awful  event,  faintly  represents  your  knowledge  of 
the  consummate  excellence  you  so  cordially  honor. 

Desperate,  indeed,  is  any  attempt  on  earth  to  meet  correspond* 
ently  this  dispensation  of  Heaven ;  for  while,  with  pious  resignar 
tiou,  we  submit  to  the  will  of  an  all-gracious  Providence,  we  can 
never  cease  lamenting,  in  our  finite  view  of  Omnipotent  Wisdom, 
the  heart-rending  privation  for  which  our  nation  weeps.  When 
the  civilized  world  shakes  to  its  centre — when  every  moment 
gives  birth  to  strange  and  momentous  changes  —  when  our 
peaceful  quarter  of  the  globe,  exempt,  as  it  happily  has  been, 
from  any  share  in  the  slaughter  of  the  human  race,  may  yet  be 
compelled  to  abandon  her  pacific  policy,  and  to  risk  the  doleful 
casualties  of  war — what  limit  is  there  to  the  extent  of  our  loss  ? 
None  within  the  reach  of  my  words  to  express  —  none  which 
your  feelings  will  not  disavow. 

The  founder  of  our  federate  republic,  our  bulwark  in  war,  our 
guide  in  peace,  is  no  more  I  0  that  this  were  but  questionable ! 
Hope,  the  comforter  of  the  wretched,  would  pour  into  our  ago- 
nizing hearts  its  balmy  dew ;  but,  alas !  there  is  no  hope  for  us. 


Cl^  IPFENDa. 

Oar  Washington  is  removed  for  ever !  Possessing  the  stoutest 
frame  and  purest  mind,  he  had  passed  nearly  to  his  sixty-eighth 
year,  in  the  enjoyment  of  high  health,  when,  habituated  by  his 
care  of  ns  to  neglect  himself,  a  slight  cold,  disregarded,  became 
inconvenient  on  Friday,  oppressive  on  Saturday,  and,  defying 
every  medical  interposition,  before  the  moiling  of  Sunday,  put 
an  end  to  the  best  of  men.  An  end  did  I  say  ?  His  fame  sur- 
vives !  bounded  only  by  the  limits  of  the  earth  and  by  the  extent 
of  the  human  mind.  He  survives  in  our  hearts,  in  the  growing 
knowledge  of  our  children,  in  the  affections  of  the  good  throughout 
the  world;  and,  when  our  monuments  shall  be  done  away  — 
when  nations  now  existing  shall  be  no  more  —  when  even  our 
young  and  far-spreading  empire  shall  have  perished  —  still  will 
our  Washington's  glory  unfaded  shine,  and  die  not,  until  lovte  of 
virtue  cease  on  earth,  or  earth  itself  sink  iuto  chaos. 

How,  my  fellow-citizens,  shall  I  single  to  your  grateful  hearts 
his  pre-eminent  worth  ?  Where  shall  I  begin  in  opening  to  your 
view  a  character  throughout  sublime  ?  Shall  I  speak  of  hia 
warlike  achievements,  all  springing  from  obedience  to  his  coun- 
try's will  —  all  directed  to  his  country's  good  ? 

Will  you  go  with  me  to  the  banks  of  the  Monongahela  to  see 
your  youthful  Washington  supporting,  in  the  dismal  hour  of  In* 
dian  victory,  the  ill-fated  Braddock,  and  saving,  by  his  judgment 
and  by  his  valor,  the  remains  of  a  defeated  army,  pressed  by  the 
conquering  savage  foe  ?  Or,  when  oppressed  America,  nobly  re- 
solving to  risk  her  all  in  defence  of  her  violated  rights,  he  was 
elevated  by  the  unanimous  voice  of  Congress  to  the  command  of 
her  armies,  will  you  follow  him  to  the  high  grounds  of  Bos- 
ton, where,  to  an  undisciplined,  courageous,  and  virtuous  yeo- 
manry, his  presence  gave  the  stability  of  system,  and  infused 
the  invincibility  of  love  of  country  ?  Or  shall  I  carry  you  to 
the  painful  scenes  of  Long  Island,  York  Island,  and  New  Jersey, 
when,  combating  superior  and  gallant  armies,  aided  by  powerful 
fleets,  and  led  by  chiefs  high  in  the  roll  of  fietme,  he  stood  the 
bulwark  of  our  safety,  undismayed  by  disaster  —  unchanged  by 
change  of  fortune  7    Or  will  you  view  him  in  the  precarious 


LE1?8  FUNERAL  ORATION  ON  WASHINOTON.  617 

fields  of  Trenton,  where  deep  glooms,  unnerving  every  arm, 
reigned  triumphant  through  our  thinned,  worn  down,  unaided 
ranks,  himself  unmoved?  Dreadful  was  the  night!  It  was 
about  this  time  of  winter.  The  storm  raged ;  the  Delaware, 
rolling  furiously  with  floating  ice,  forbade  the  approach  of  man. 
Washington,  self-collected,  yiewed  the  tremendous  scene;  his 
country  called.  Unappalled  by  surrounding  dangers,  he  passed 
to  the  hostile  shore  ;  he  fought  —  he  conquered !  The  morning 
sun  cheered  the  American  world.  Our  country  rose  on  the 
event,  and  her  dauntless  chief,  pursuing  his  blow,  completed,  on 
the  lawns  of  Princeton,  what  his  vast  soul  had  conceived  on  the 
shores  of  Delaware. 

Thence  to  the  strong  grounds  of  Morristown  he  led  his  small 
but  gallant  band,  and  through  an  eventful  winter,  by  the  high 
efforts  of  his  genius,  whose  matchless  force  was  measurable  only 
by  the  growth  of  difficulties,  he  held  in  check  formidable  hostile 
legions,  conducted  by  a  chief  experienced  in  the  art  of  war,  and 
famed  for  his  valor  on  the  ever-memorable  heights  of  Abraham, 
where  fell  Wolfe,  Montcalm,  and,  since,  our  much  lamented 
Montgomery,  all  covered  with  glory.  In  this  fortunate  interval^ 
produced  by  his  masterly  conduct,  our  fathers,  ourselves,  ani* 
mated  by  his  resistless  example,  rallied  around  our  country's 
standard,  and  continued  to  follow  her  beloved  chief  through  the 
various  and  trying  scenes  to  which  the  destinies  of  our  Union  led. 

Who  is  there  that  has  forgotten  the  vales  of  Brandywine,  the 
fields  of  Oermantown,  or  the  plains  of  Monmouth  T  Everywhere 
present,  wants  of  every  kind  obstructing,  numerous  and  valiant 
armies  encountering,  himself  a  host,  he  assuaged  our  sufferingSi 
limited  our  privations,  and  upheld  our  tottering  republic.  Shall 
I  display  to  you  the  spread  of  the  fire  of  his  soul  by  rehearsing 
the  praises  of  the  hero  of  Saratoga  and  his  much*loved  compeer 
of  the  Carolina?  No,  our  Washington  wears  not  borrowed 
glory.  To  Gates — to  Green  —  he  gave,  without  reserve,  the 
applause  due  to  their  eminent  merit ;  and  long  may  the  chiefs  of 
Saratoga  and  of  Eutaws  receive  the  grateful  respect  of  a  grate- 
ful people. 


618  APPraBDC.   9 

Moving  in  his  own  orbit,  he  imparted  heat  and  light  to  his 
most  distant  satellites ;  and,  combining  the  physical  and  moral 
force  of  all  within  his  sphere,  with  irresistible  weight  he  Uxk 
his  course,  commiserating  folly,  disdaining  vice,  dismaying  trear 
son,  and  invigorating  despondency,  until  the  auspicious  hour  ar- 
rived, when,  united  with  the  intrepid  forces  of  a  potent  and 
magnanimous  ally,  he  brought  to  submission  the  since  conqueror 
of  India ;  thus  finishing  his  long  career  of  military  glory  with  a 
lustre  corresponding  with  his  great  name,  and  in  this,  his  last 
act  of  war,  affixing  the  seal  of  fate  to  our  nation's  birth. 

To  the  horrid  din  of  war  sweet  peace  succeeded ;  and  our 
virtuous  chief,  mindful  only  of  the  public  good,  in  a  moment 
tempting  personal  aggrandizement,  hushed  the  discontents  of 
growing  sedition,  and,  surrendering  his  power  into  the  hands  from 
which  he  had  received  it,  converted  his  sword  into  a  plough* 
share,  teaching  an  admiring  world  that,  to  be  truly  great,  you 
must  be  truly  good. 

Was  I  to  stop  here,  the  picture  would  be  incomplete  and  the 
task  imposed  unfinished.  Great  as  was  our  Washington  in  war, 
and  much  as  did  that  greatness  contribute  to  produce  the  Ameri- 
can republic,  it  is  not  in  war  alone  his  pre-eminence  stands  con- 
spicuous ;  his  various  talents  combining  all  the  capacities  of  a 
>^  statesman  with  those  of  a  soldier,  fitted  him  alike  to  guide  the 
councils  and  the  armies  of  our  nation.  Scarcely  had  he  rested 
from  his  martial  toils,  while  his  invaluable  parental  advice  was 
still  sounding  in  our  ears,  when  he  who  had  been  our  shield  and 
our  sword  was  called  forth  to  act  a  less  splendid,  but  more  im- 
portant, part. 

Possessing  a  clear  and  penetrating  mind,  a  strong  and  sound 
judgment,  calmness  and  temper  for  deliberation,  with  invinci- 
ble firmness  and  perseverance  in  resolutions  maturely  formed, 
drawing  information  from  all,  acting  from  himself,  with  incor- 
ruptible integrity  and  unvarying  patriotism,  his  own  superiority 
and  the  public  confidence  alike  marked  him  as  the  man  designed 
by  Qeaven  to  lead  in  the  great  political,  as  well  as  military, 
evetLts,  which  have  distinguished  the  area  of  his  life. 


LE^S  FUNERAL  ORATION  ON  WASHINGTON.  619 

The  finger  of  an  oyerraling  Providence  pointing  at  Washing- 
ton was  neither  mistaken  nor  unobserved ;  when,  to  realize  the 
vast  hopes  to  which  onr  Revolution  had  given  birth,  a  change  of 
political  system  became  indispensable. 

How  novel,  how  grand,  the  spectacle  —  independent  states 
stretched  over  an  immense  territory,  and  known  only  by  common 
difficnlty,  clinging  to  their  Union  as  the  rock  of  their  safety,  de- 
ciding by  frank  comparison  of  their  relative  condition  to  rear  on 
that  rock,  under  the  guidance  of  reason,  a  common  government, 
through  whose  commanding  protection  liberty  and  order,  with 
their  long  train  of  blessings,  should  be  safe  to  themselves  and  the 
sure  inheritance  of  their  posterity ! 

This  arduous  task  devolved  on  citizens  selected  by  the  people, 
from  a  knowledge  of  their  wisdom  and  confidence  in  their  virtue. 
In  this  august  assembly  of  sages  and  of  patriots,  Washington,  of 
course,  was  found ;  and,  as  if  acknowledged  to  be  most  wise 
where  all  were  wise,  with  one  voice  he  was  declared  their  chief. 
How  well  he  merited  this  rare  distinction — how  faithful  were  the 
labors  of  himself  and  his  compatriots,  the  work  of  their  hands 
and  our  union,  strength,  and  prosperity — the  fruits  of  that  work 
best  attest. 

But  to  have  essentially  aided  in  presenting  to  his  country  this 
consummation  of  her  hopes,  neither  satisfied  the  claims  of  his 
fellow-citizens  on  his  talents,  nor  those  duties  which  the  possession 
of  those  talents  imposed.  Heaven  had  not  infused  into  his  mind 
such  an  uncommon  share  of  its  etherial  spirit  to  remain  unem- 
ployed, nor  bestowed  on  him  his  genius  unaccompanied  by  the 
corresponding  duty  of  devoting  it  to  the  common  good.  To 
have  framed  a  constitution,  was  showing  only,  without  realizing, 
the  general  happiness.  This  great  work  remained  to  be  done  ; 
and  America,  steadfast  in  her  preference,  with  one  voice  sum- 
moned her  beloved  Washington,  unpractised  as  he  was  in  the 
duties  of  civil  administration,  to  execute  this  last  act  in  the  com* 
pletion  of  the  national  felicity.  Obedient  to  her  call,  he  assumed 
the  high  office  with  that  self-distrust  peculiar  to  his  innate  mod- 
esty, the  constant  attendant  of  pre-eminent  virtue.    What  was 


820^  ANW9VL     t 

the  burst  of  joy  through  our  tuixiouB  land  on  this  exhUir^ting 
event,  is  known  to  us  all.  The  aged,  the  yoiwg,^  the  brave,  H^ 
fair,  rivalled  each  other  in  demoiistratioii9  of  tbeir  gratitude ; 
and  this  high-wrought,  delightful  scene  w««  heightened  in  ita 
effect  by  the  singular  contest  between  the  seal  of  tte  bestpwers 
and  the  avoidance  of  the  receiver  of  the  honors  bestowed.  Coiih 
mencing  his  administration,  what  heart  is  not  charmed  with  th^ 
recollection  of  the  pure  and  wise  furiaoiples  announced  by  him- 
self as  the  basis  of  bis  political  life !  He  best  understood  tho 
indissoluble  union  between  virtue  and  happiness,  between  duty 
and  advantage,  between  the  genuine  maxims  of  an  honest  an4 
magnanimous  policy,  and  the  solid  rewards  of  public  prosperi^ 
and  individual  felicity.  Watching  with  an  equal  and  compre- 
hensive eye  over  this  great  assemblage  of  communities  and  in* 
terests,  he  laid  the  foundations  of  our  national  policy  in  Uie  un- 
erring, immutable  principles  of  morality,^  based  on  religion; 
exemplifying  the  pre-eminence  of  free  government  by  all  the 
attributes  which  win  the  affections  of  its  citizens  or  command  the 
respect  of  the  world. 

**  O  forttnaUM  dimimn  f na  sibona  noriot  !*' 

Leading  through  the  complicated  difficulties  produced  by  pre- 
vious obligations  and  conflicting  interests,  seconded  by  succeed- 
ing houses  of  Congress,  enlightened  and  patriotic,  he  surmounted 
all  original  obstructions  and  brightened  the  path  of  our  national 
felicity. 

The  presidential  term  expiring,  his  solicitude  to  exchange 
exaltation  for  humility  returned  with  a  force  increased  with  in- 
crease of  age  ;  and  he  had  prepared  his  farewell  address  to  his 
countrymen,  proclaiming  his  intention,  when  the  united  interpo- 
sition of  all  around.him,  enforced  by  the  eventful  prospects  of 
the  epoch,  produced  a  further  sacrifice  of  inclination  to  duty.  The 
election  of  president  followed,  and  Washington,  by  the  unani- 
mous vote  of  the  nation,  was  called  to  resume  the  chief  magis- 
tracy. What  a  wonderful  fixture  of  confidence !  Which  attracts 
most  our  admiration — a  people  so  correct  or  a  citizen  combining 
an  assemblage  of  talents  forbidding  rivalry,  and  stifling  even 


LEE*S  FUNERAL  (SUA^Sm  ON  WASHINGTON.  ^1 

^Mfjr  Jtseif  ?  •docli  a nfttioa  deserves  to  tie  bKppy — sudiitohttf 
€Ri0t  be  fiM-  emt  ftr^ered. 

Waf ^  long  nemaoed  by  tbe  Inditn  tribeB,  notr  broke  cmt ;  and 
1^  teiTtbld  ccmffict,  deltiging  Europe  vith  blood,  began  to  «bed 
jts  iMaelhl  infldenoe  ov^er  our  hi^py  land.  To  the  ftrBt-ootstretch- 
inghis  invindble  arm,  ander  the  orders  of  the  gallant  Wayne, 
the  American  eagle  soared  triumphant  through  distant  forests. 
Peace  followed  rietory,  and  the  melioration  of  the  condition  of 
the  enemy  followed  peace.  Godlike  tirtue,  which  npUfts  even 
the  subdued  savage ! 

To  the  second  he  opposed  himself.  New  and  delicate  was  the 
•eonjuncture,  and  great  was  the  stake.  Socm  did  his  penetrating 
*ttiind  discern  and  seisse  the  only  course  continuing  to  us  all  the 
blessings  enjoyed.  He  issued  his  proclamation  of  neutrdity. 
This  index  to  his  whole  subsequent  conduct  was  sanctioned  by 
<3ie  approbation  of  both  houses  of  Congress,  and  by  the  approv- 
ing voice  of  the  people. 

To  this  sublime  policy  he  invariably  adhered,  unmoved  by  for 
eign  intrusion  —  unshaken  by  domestic  turbulence. 

"  Jastam  et  tenacem  propositi  viram, 
Hon  citium  ardor  prava  jnbentiam, 
Non  mltos  instantis  tyranoi 
Mente  qnatit  solida." 

Maintaining  his  pacific  system  at  the  expense  of  no  duty, 
America,  faithful  to  herself  and  unstained  in  her  honor,  contin- 
ued to  enjoy  the  delights  of  peace,  while  aiBicted  Europe  mourns 
in  every  quarter  under  the  accumulated  miseries  of  an  unexam- 
pled war^ — miseries  in  which  our  happy  country  must  have 
ehared  had  not  -our  pre-eminent  Washingtoh  been  as  firm  in 
council  as  he  was  brave  in  the  field. 

Pursuing  steadfastly  his  course,  he  held  safe  the  public  hap^H- 
ness,  preventing  foreign  war  and  quelling  internal  disorder,  till 
the  revolving  period  of  a  third  election  approached,  when  he 
executed  his  intetrupted,  but  inextinguishable,  desire  of  returning 
to  the  humble  walks  of  private  lifSd. 

The  promulgation  of  his  fixed  resolution  stopped  the  anxious 


622  APPWPDL 

wishes  of  an  affectionate  people  firom  adding  a  third  nnaniiBOQS 
testimonial  of  their  nnabated  confidence  in  the  man  so  long  en- 
throned in  their  hearts.  When,  before,  was  affection  like  this 
exhibited  on  earth  ?  Turn  over  the  records  of  Greece — review 
the  annals  of  mighty  Borne  —  examine  the  volumes  of  modem 
Europe  —  you  search  in  vain.  America  and  her  Washington 
only  affords  the  dignified  exemplification. 

The  illustrious  personage,  called  by  the  national  voice  in  soo- 
cession  to  the  arduous  office  of  guiding  a  free  people,  had  no  dif- 
ficulties to  encounter.  The  amicable  effort  of  settling  our  diffi- 
culties with  France,  begun  by  Washington  and  pursued  by  his 
successor  in  virtue  as  in  station,  proving  abortive,  America  took 
measures  of  self-defence.  No  sooner  was  the  public  mind  roused 
by  a  prospect  of  danger  than  every  eye  was  turned  to  the  inead 
of  all,  though  secluded  from  public  view  and  gray  in  public  ser- 
vice. The  virtuous  veteran,  following  his  plough,*  received  the  un- 
expected summons  with  mingled  emotions  of  indignation  at  the 
unmerited  ill-treatment  of  his  country^  and  of  a  determination 
once  more  to  risk  his  all  in  her  defence. 

The  annunciation  of  these  feelings  in  his  affecting  letter  to 
the  president,  accepting  the  command  of  the  army,  concludes 
his  official  conduct. 

First  in  war  ^  first  in  peace  ^  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  coun- 
trymen^  he  was  second  to  none  in  the  humble  and  endearing  scenes 
of  private  life ;  uniform,  dignified,  and  commanding,  his  example 
was  as  edifying  to  aU  around  him  as  were  the  effects  of  that 
example  lasting. 

To  his  equals  he  was  condescending;  to  his  inferiors,  kind ;  and 
to  the  dear  object  of  his  affections,  exemplarijy  tender ;  correct 
throughout,  vice  shuddered  in  his  presence,  and  rirtue  always 
felt  his  fostering  hand ;  the  purity  of  his  prirate  character  gave 
effulgence  to  his  public  virtues. 

His  last  scene  comported  with  the  whole  tenor  of  his  life. 
Although  in  extreme  pain,  not  a  sigh,  not  a  groan  escaped  him ; 

*  General  Washiogton,  though  opnle&t,  gare  mndi  of  hii  time  and  attention  to 
practical  agricaltnro. 


LEETS  FUNERAL  OBATION   ON  WASHINGTON.  628 

and  with  undisturbed  serenity  he  closed  his  well-spent  life.  Such 
was  the  man  America  has  lost — such  was  the  man  for  whom  our 
nation  mourns. 

Methinks  I  see  his  august  image,  and  hear  falling  from  his 
venerable  lips  these  deep-sinking  words : — 

^^  Cease,  sons  of  America,  lamenting  our  separation.  Go  on 
and  confirm,  hj  jour  wisdom,  the  fruits  of  our  joint  councils, 
joint  efforts,  and  common  dangers ;  reyerence  religion  ;  diffuse 
knowledge  throughout  jour  lands ;  patronize  the  arts  and  sci- 
ences ;  let  liberty  and  order  be  inseparable  companions.  Con- 
trol party  spirit,  the  bane  of  free  government ;  observe  good 
faith  to,  and  cultivate  peace  with,  all  nations ;  shut  up  every 
avenue  to  foreign  influence ;  contract  rather  than  extend  national 
connections ;  rely  on  yourselves  only ;  be  Americans  in  thought, 
word,  and  deed.  Thus  will  you  give  immortality  to  that  union 
which  was  the  constant  object  of  my  terrestrial  labors ;  thus  will 
you  preserve  undisturbed,  to  the  latest  posterity,  the  felicity  of 
a  people  to  me  most  dear ;  and  thus  will  you  supply  (if  my  hap- 
piness is  now  ought  to  you)  the  only  vacancy  in  the  round  of 
pure  bliss  high  Heaven  bestows.'' 


624  AP^XDVL 


NOTE  VIL-Paoe  516. 

OBiaiNAL  P0BXRAIT8  OF  WASHIMGTQK. 

Ab  Mr.  Custis,  in  his  chapter  on  the  PortraUs  of  Waskingiimy 
has  omitted  several  originals,  it  is  proposed,  in  as  brief  space  as 
passible  in  the  following  ai-ticle,  to  notice  all  that  are  well 
authenticated,  and  in  the  order  in  which  they  were  painted. 

I.  Charles  Willson  Peale  painted  the  first  portrait  of  Wash- 
ington, in  May,  1772.  It  was  done  at  Mount  Yernon ;  and,  at 
the  same  time,  he  painted  portraits  in  miniature  of  all  the  rest 
of  the  family.  The  original  study  of  Washington  was  made  of 
small  size.  The  finished  picture,  full  size,  now  at  ArHng^^wi 
House,  is  a  copy  of  it.  It  is  a  three-quarter  length,  and  repre- 
sents Washington  in  the  costume  of  a  Virginia  colonel.  The 
study  was  afterward  arranged  in  the  continental  costume,  and 
is  now  in  possession  of  Charles  S.  Ogden,  Esq.  of  Philadelphia. 

II.  Peale  painted  a  half-length  portrait  of  General  and  Mrs. 
Washington,  in  the  summer  of  1776,  for  John  Hancock ;  also  a 
miniature  of  Mrs.  Washington. 

HI.  In  December,  1777,  Peale  completed  a  miniature  of  the 
general  for  Mrs.  Washington.  It  was  begun  at  the  close  of 
October.  While  sitting  for  it,  in  a  farm-house  near  Skippack 
Creek,  in  Pennsylvania,  the  general  (who  occupied  the  side  of  a 
bed,  and  the  artist  the  only  chair  in  the  room)  received  des- 
patches, advising  him  of  the  capture  of  Burgoyne.  He  glanced 
at  them,  and  then  remained,  apparently  unconcerned,  until  the 
sitting  was  finished.  That  miniature  is  published  in  Irving's 
Life  of  Washington,  under  the  erroneous  impression  that  it  is 


ORIGINAL  PORTRAITS   OF   WASHINGTON.  625 

a  portrait  of  Washington  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years.    Of 
this  picture,  Peale  made  several  copies. 

IV.  Peale  painted  a  whole-length  miniature  of  Washington, 
in  1778,  for  Lafayette ;  also, 

V.  A  whole  length,  full  size,  for  the  state  of  Maryland; 


ton  atMouut  V  uA^w., 

of  J.  Carson  Brevoort,  Esq.,  of  Bedford,  Long  xsiauu. 


40 


626  APP£tn>ix. 

Xm.  In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  Houdon,  a  celebrated 
portrait  sculptor,  from  France,  modelled  a  bust  of  Washington 
in  clay,  at  Mount  Yemon,  and  afterward  executed  a  full-length 
statue  of  him,  for  the  state  capitol,  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  by 
order  of  the  legislature  of  that  commonwealth. 

XIV.  In  1786,  Peale  painted  a  head  of  Washington,  from  life, 
for  his  own  gallery.  His  brother,  James,  copied  it  on  a  larger 
canvass,  and  added  the  figure  in  military  costume,  and  an  atten- 
dant and  horse  in  the  background.  It  is  in  the  possession  g( 
James  Lennox,  Esq.,  of  New  York  city. 

XV.  On  the  first  of  October,  1789,  Washington  gave  John 
Bamage,  an  Irish  artist,  a  sitting  of  two  hours.  Ramage  made 
a  portrait  of  him  in  miniature  for  Mrs.  Waehington. 

XVI.  Three  days  afterward,  he  gave  one  sitting  to  the  Mar- 
chioness de  Brienne,  sister  of  the  Count  de  Moustier,  the  French 
minister,  to  complete  a  miniature  profile  of  him,  ^^  which,"  he  says, 
in  his  diary,  ^^  she  had  begun  from  memory,  and  had  made  exceed- 
ingly like  the  original."  This  was  afterward  engraved  in  Pai-is. 
She  also  painted  a  miniature  profile  of  Washington  and  Lafayette, 
together,  in  medallion  form,  on  copper,  and  presented  the  picture 
to  Washington.     It  is  now  at  Arlington  House. 

XVII.  On  the  third  of  November,  1789,  while  on  his  eastern 
tour,  Washington  sat  two  hours  to  Mr.  Gulligher,  a  Boston 
painter,  who  had  a  commission  from  Mr.  Samuel  Breck,  of  that 
city.  Washington  was  then  at  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire. 
GuUigher  had  followed  him,  and  first  made  a  sketch  of  him  by 
stealth,  while  the  general  was  in  the  chapel  of  Mr.  Buckminster. 
He  then  obtained  a  sitting,  and  destroyed  his  stolen  sketch. 
That  portrait  is  in  the  possession  of  Edward  Belknap,  Esq.,  of 
New  York. 

XVIII.  On  the  twenty  first  of  December,  1789,  Washington 
sat  three  hours  to  Edward  Savage,  an  English  painter,  who  had 
been  commissioned  to  execute  a  portrait  of  him,  for  Harvard 
college,  at  Cambridge,  in  Massachusetts.  Savage  was  then  a  res- 
ident of  New  York,  On  the  twenty-eighth,  Washington  recorded 
in  his  diary,  ^'  Sat  all  the  forenoon  for  Mr.  Savage,  who  was 


ORIGINAL  PORTRAITS   OF   WASHINGTON.  627 

taking  my  portrait."    On  the  sixth  of  January,  he  gave  him  the 
last  sitting.    That  portrait  is  now  at  Harvard. 

XIX.  In  February,  1790,  Colonel  John  Trumbull  painted 
Washington's  portrait.  His  object  was  to  make  an  equestrian 
picture.  He  also  was  preparing  to  paint  his  historical  pictures 
of  the  battles  of  Trenton  and  Princeton,  in  which  Washington 
was  engaged.  Washington  rode  out  with  Trumbull  once  or 
twice,  that  the  painter  might  catch  his  appearance  on  horseback. 
Trumbull,  who  was  nearsighted,  always  painted  his  studies  small. 
In  that  way  he  portrayed  Washington  on  this  occasion,  and  after- 
ward painted  the  full  length,  standing  by  a  horse,  which  is  now 
in  the  governor's  room,  in  the  City  Hall,  New  York.  In  1792, 
Trumbull  painted  several  full  lengths  of  Washington.  For  his 
first  and  second  pictures  only  did  he  procure  a  sitting.  All  the 
others  were  copies. 

XX.  Early  in  1791,  Archibald  Robertson,  a  Scotchman, 
painted  Washington  and  his  wife,  in  miniature,  and  then  painted 
a  larger  portrait  for  the  Earl  of  Buchan,  Robertson  having 
been  commissioned  by  the  earl  to  procure  one  for  his  collection 
at  Dryburgh  Abbey. 

XXI.  In  1792,  Joseph  Cerracchi,  an  Italian  sculptor,  modelled 
a  bust  of  Washington,  from  life,  and  repeated  it  in  colossal  size. 
These  he  took  to  Europe,  and  executed  in  marble.  One,  of  the 
colossal  size,  was  brought  to  this  country  by  Richard  W.  Meade, 
of  Philadelphia.  Congress  purchased  it  for  four  thousand  dol- 
lars. It  was  destroyed  when  the  Congress  library  was  burnt,  in 
December,  1861.  A  copy  of  it  is  in  the  gallery  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Academy  of  Fine  Arts ;  another  is  in  the  private  gallery  of 
Gouveneur  Kemble,  Esq.,  of  Cold  Spring,  New  York. 

XXTT.  In  1795,  Washington  sat  to  Adolph  Ulric  Wirtmuller, 
a  Swede,  and  native  of  Stockholm.  It  is  believed  that  he  had 
only  one  sitting ;  and  as  a  likeness,  the  picture  is  considered,  in 
many  respects,  a  failure.  Washington  is  represented  with  a  lace- 
frilled  shirt  bosom,  an  article  he  never  wore.  His  ruffles  were 
always  fine,  but  plain.  The  picture  it  is  believed,  was  purchased 
by  Washington,  and  presented  by  him  to  the  late  Mr.  Cazenove, 


628  APPENDIX. 

who  took  it  to  Switzerland.  It  is  now  in  possession  of  Charles 
Augustus  Davis,  Esq.,  of  New  York  city.  An  engraving  of  it 
appears  in  the  first  volume  of  Irving's  Life  of  Washington. 

XXIII.  In  September,  1795,  Rembrandt  Peale,  son  of  Charles 
Willson  Peale,  obtained  from  Washington  three  sittings,  of  three 
hours  each,  and  completed  a  study,  from  which,  in  connection 
with  a  portrait  of  his  father,  and  Houdon's  bust,  he  painted  a 
portrait  which  was  pronounced  by  the  relatives  and  intimate 
friends  of  Washington,  the  best  likeness  of  the  first  president 
that  was  ever  painted.  Congress  purchased  it  for  two  thousand 
dollars,  and  it  now  occupies  a  place  over  the  vic^-president's 
chair,  in  the  senate  chamber  at  Washington  city.  Mr.  Peale 
(who  is  yet  [1859]  living  at  the  age  of  nearly  eighty-two  years) 
was  then  very  young,  and  his  father,  to  keep  him  in  countenance, 
painted  a  portrait  of  the  president  at  the  same  time. 

XXIV.  That  portrait,  by  the  elder  Peale,  is  now  in  the  Bryan 
Ckllery,  New  York  city. 

XXV.  At  the  same  time,  James  Peale,  a  brother  of  Charles 
Willson  Peale,  painted  a  miniature  of  him,  and 

XXVI.  Another  member  of  the  family,  made  a  pencil  sketch 
of  the  president,  in  profile. 

XXVII.  Washington  sat  to  Gilbert  Stuart,  the  eminent  por- 
trait painter,  on  the  same  days  when  he  sat  to  Rembrandt  Peale. 
Stuart  was  not  well  satisfied  with  his  own  performance.  He  made 
five  copies,  and  finally  sold  the  original  to  Winstanley,  an  English 
landscape  painter,  for  two  hundred  dollars.  Winstanley  took  it 
to  England.  It  was  there  bought  by  Mr.  John  Vaoghan,  who 
brought  it  to  Philadelphia,  and  it  is  now  in  possession  of  Joseph 
Harrison,  Esq.,  of  that  city. 

XXVIII.  Stuart  then  procured  other  sittings,  that  he  might 
paint  a  portrait  for  Mrs.  Washington.  The  head  only  was 
finished  in  the  winter  of  1795-'96,  and  so  the  picture  yet  re- 
mains. It  belongs  to  the  Boston  Athenaeum,  and  is  the  so-called 
standard  head  of  Washington  when  president. 

XXIX.  Stuart's  full-length  portrait  of  Washington,  painted 
for  the  Marquis  of  Lansdo^ne,  in  the  spring  of  1796,  can  hardly 


ORIGINAL  PORTRAITS   OF  WASHINGTON.  629 

be  classed  among  originals,  for  Washington  gave  him  only  one 
sitting.  The  head  was  copied  from  his  second  picture ;  and  a 
small  man  named  W.  R.  Smith,  with  whom  Stuart  boarded  in 
Philadelphia,  stood  for  the  figure.  The  extended  hand  of  Wash- 
ington, was  painted  from  a  wax  cast  of  Stuart's  own  hand,  which 
was  much  smaller  than  Washington's. 

XXX.  The  last  sitting  Washington  ever  gave  to  a  painter, 
was  in  1796,  when  James  Sharpless,  an  English  artist,  then  in 
Philadelphia,  made  an  admirable  profile  likeness  of  him,  in 
crayon.  Sharpless  also  painted  a  profile,  in  crayon,  of  Mrs. 
Washington^  of  these  he  made  several  copies.  His  wife  also 
copied  that  of  Washington,  in  water-color.  The  originals  are  at 
Arlington  House.  They  have  been  pronounced  by  those  of  the 
Washington  family  competent  to  judge,  admirable  likenesses. 
Engravings  from  them  are  published  in  a  work  by  the  writer, 
entitled  Mount  Vernon  and  its  Associations. 


ANALYTICAL  INDEX, 


FAGB 

Adams,  John,  appoints  Washington 
to  the  chief  command  of  the 

army 327 

inaagaration  of,  as  president 433 

Adlnm,  Major,  his  account  of  Small- 
wood's  regiment 264 

Agnew,  Greneral  James,  killed  at  Qer- 

mantown 204 

Agricultare,  Washington  on 595 

Alexandria,  Washington's  visit  to ..  450 

martial  exhibition  at 450 

Allen,  Colonel  Ethan,  and  Rivington  297 
Allied  armies,  Chevalier  de  Barras 

sends  vessels  for 240 

Allies  prepare  to  attack  New  York  .  230 

march  for  the  South 230 

move  against  the  British  at  York- 
town  240 

Amoskeag  Veterans,   visit   of,    to 

Mount  Vernon 62 

Ancestors  of  Washington 125, 129 

Anderson,  Mrs.,  nurse  of  Eleanor 

Parke  Custis 39 

AndrS,  Major,   theatrical   prepara- 
tions of g.,.  368 

Anecdote  of  Annapolis  race-course.  499 
Bishop,  body-servant  of  Washing- 
ton  377 

Custis,  Daniel  Parke 497 

Hartley,  Colonel 305 

hunting-shirt  fellows 268 

Lafayette 248 

Lee,  Henry,  when  at  college 356 

Lee,  Richard  Henry 331 

*  Mossom,  Rev.  David 503 

Tarleton,  Colonel 253 

Vulcan,  a  French  hound 388 

Washington    and    his    mother's 

blooded  horse 132 

Annapolis,  old  capital  of  Maryland.  154 

anecdote  of  race-coune  at 499 

Arlington  Spring,  annual  gatherings 

at 64 

Armies,  allied,  prepare  to  attack  New 

York 230 

leave  the  Hudson  for  the  South. . .  232 
Army,  British,  at  Germantown,  ready 

to  retreat 207 

lay  down  their  arms  at  Yorktown  247 


PAOB 

Arnold,  Benedict,  expedition  of, 
across  the  wilderness  to  Que- 
bec   267,309 

his  invasion  of  Virginia 232,  333 

Asia,  British  ship-of-war,  at  New 
York 342 

Asses,  presented  to  Washington  by 
the  king  of  Spain  and  by  La- 
fayette  455 

Atlee,  Samuel  Y.,  Custis's  letter  to.  408 

Bacon,  rebellion  of 13 

Ball,  Colonel  William,  ancestor  of 

Washington's  mother 129 

Balls,  birth-niffht,  and  the  theatre. . .  364 

Bank  of  North  America 350 

Bard,    Doctor,    attends    President 

Washington 398 

BarAeur,  battle  of,  with  the  Ville  de 

Paris 238 

Hood,  Sir  Samuel,  commander  of 

the 238 

Barras,  Chevalier  de,  ai'rival  of,  in 

the  Chesapeake 239 

sends  vessels  for  the  allied  armies  240 

Barren  Hill,  affair  at 260 

Allen  McLane,  at 260 

retreat  of  Life-Gnard  from 261 

Barton,  Colonel  William,  in  debtors' 

prison 329 

Barter,  Philip,  agreement  of,  with 
Washington  to  abstain  from  li- 
quor   445 

Battle  of  the  Brandy  wine 170 

Eutaw  Springs 359 

Gkrmantown 193 

King's  Mountain 272 

Long  Island 265, 344 

Monmouth 211 

Princeton 179 

Battles  of  Saratoga  and  German- 
town,  effecto  of 217 

Bauman,  Major 401 

Baylor,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  massar 

ere  of  corps  of 259 

seeks  an  interest  in  a  privateer. . .  545 
Billy,  Washington's  huntsman  and 

favorite  servant 157 

in  danger  at  Monmouth 224 


632 


INDEX. 


PA6B 

Billy,  a  diplomat 379 

Biographical  sketch  of  Cadwalader, 

General  John 212 

Carroll,  Right  Rev.  John 1 73 

Craik,  Dr.  James 474 

De  Grasse 233 

Gallatin,  Albert 351 

Greene,  General 323 

Griffith,  Rev.  David 291 

Hartley,  Colonel  Thomas 307 

Hasleti  Colonel 186 

Humphreys,  Colonel 373 

Izard,  Ralph 485 

Knapp,  Uznl 262 

LaniD,  Colonel  John 242 

Lee,  Henry 356 

Mercer,  General 183 

Mifflin,  Thomas 403 

Molly,  Captain 225 

Morgan,  Daniel 308 

Nash,  General 204 

Nelson,  Governor 339 

Peale,  Charles  Willson 518 

Pulaski,  Count  Casimir 195 

Futnam,  Israel 282 

Rivington,  James 293 

Rush,  Dr.  Benjamin 186 

Rush,  Hon.  Richard 184 

Scott,  General  Charles 414 

Smith,  Samncl  Stanhope 77 

Stockton,  Richard 177 

Stuart,  Gilbert  Charles 520 

Tarleton,  Colonel 252 

Thomson,  Charles 382 

Trumbull,  Governor 281 

Trumbull,  John,  the  painter 285 

Trumbull,  Jonathan 174 

Washington,  Bushrod 470 

Washington,  William 354 

White,  Right  Rev.  William 173 

Williams,  Otho  Holland 355 

Bird,  Lieutenant,  killed  at  German- 
town  204 

Birth  of  George  Washington  Parke 

Cnstis 33 

Birth-night  balls  and  the  theatre 364 

Birth-night  ball,  last  one  attended  by 

Washington 366 

Birth-night  ode 365 

Bishop,  Washington's  oldest  body- 
servant  .'.  158 

too  old  for  service  in  war 161 

his  character 161 

in  the  battle   of   the    Mononga- 

hela 374 

commended  to  Washington 375 

at  Mount  Vernon  and  in  the  Rev- 
olution    376 

anecdote  of 377 

Blenheim,  news  of  the  battle  of,  car- 
ried to  Queen  Anne  by  Colonel 
Parke 23 


P1«B 

Blooded  horse  belonging  to  Wash- 
ington's mother,  anecdote  re- 
specting    ISS 

Blueskin,    Washington's     hunting 

horse 387 

Boquet,  Colonel 267 

Boston,  siege  of 280 

Botetourt,  governor  of  Viiginia.  154,  396 
Botta,  Charles,  his  estimate  of  Wash- 
ington's achievements 190 

Braddock,  General,  at  the  battle  of 

the  Monongahela 374 

commends  Bishop  to  Washington.  375 

death  of 376 

Brandy  wine,  battle  of 170 

Brcck,  Samuel,  letter  of,  concerning 

a  dinner-party  in  Boston 365 

Brienne,    Madame    de,   profiles   of 

Washington  and  Lafayette  by  .  517 
Brown,  Doctor,  called  to  see  Wash- 
ington    475 

Bumaby,  Rev.  Andrew,  account  of 

his  travels  in  Virginia 166 

Burr,  Colonel  Aaron 345 

Busts  of  Washington  and  Hamilton  525 

Byrd,  Colonel  William 15 

letters  of 26-33 

son    of,   Washington's    rival    in 
horses 896 

Cabal,  Conwav's 277 

Cadwalader,  General  John 212 

Calvert,  Eleanor,  wife  of  John  Purke 

Custis 33 

Calvert  fi^mily,  Hope  Park  the  resi- 
dence of 1 14 

Cambridge,  headquarters  at 273 

Campbell,  Major,  British  officer  at 

Yorktown 241 

Camp,  Mrs.  Washington  in 138 

Cannon,  French,  in  the  arsenal  at 

Richmond 239 

Canova,  statue  of  Washington  by. .  525 
Carrington,  Mrs.,  letter  of,  respect- 
ing the  domestic  life  of  Mrs. 

Washington 510 

Carroll,  Right  Rev.  John,  D.D 173 

Cary,  one  of  Washington's  ser- 
vants, death  of 45l 

Cerracchi,  busts  of  Washington  and 

Hamilton,  bv 525 

Chamberlayne,  Colonel,  introduces 

Washin^n  to  Mrs.  Custis ....  499 
Charleston,  siege  and  surrender  of. .  334 
Chesapeake,  arrival  of  the  Chera- 

lier  de  Barras  in  the 239 

Chew's  house  at  Germantown 198 

Church,  Washington  a  communicant 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal ....  173 

Cincinnati,  society  of  the 409 

on  national  anniversaries 429 

City  Tavern,  at  Philadelphia 404 


INDEX. 


633 


PAOB 

Clarke,  the  maker  of  Washington's 

coach 424 

Clarke,  Washington's  watch-maker, 

in  Philadelphia 454 

Clinton,  Greneral  Sir  Henry,  suc- 
cessor of  General  Howe.' 2 11 

orders  of,  to  Comwallis 231 

Coachmen  of  Washington,  John  Fa- 

gan  and  John  Kmse 424,  426 

Cobb,  Colonel,  at  Yorktown 242 

Cochrnn,  Colonel,  British  officer  at 

Yorktown 244 

daring  exploits  of,  and  death 245 

Colfax,   William,   commandant   of 

Washinerton's  Life-Guard 259 

College  (Columbia),  King's 340 

Colors,  delivery  of  British,  to  Amer- 
icans at  Yorktown 249 

Confederation,  Articles  of 381 

Congress,  Continental,  first  one  in 

1774 331 

anecdote  of  R.  H.  Lee  in  connec- 
tion with 831 

Congress,  Federal,  its  first  session  in 
New  York,  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment    287 

thanks  of,  to  Washington  and  his 
soldiers  for  conduct  at  Mon- 
mouth    227 

proceedings  of,  in  relation  to  Wash- 
ington's death 478 

Constitution,  federal,  formation  of. .  349 
Convention  of  states  proposed,  to 
amend  Articles  of  Confederation  348 

adopt  a  federal  constitution 349 

Conway's  cabal 277 

Cook,  Hercules,  Washington's  chief  422 

Comwallis,  Earl 189 

at   Williamsburg,    Jamestown, 

and  Yorktown 232 

earth-retreat  of,  at  Yorktown 244 

contemplates  flight  from  York- 
town  245 

surrender  of,  at  Yorktown 247 

with  Washington  at  Yorktown. . .  249 
entertained  at  dinner  by  Washing- 
ton  250 

,in  Virginia 334 

in  chief  command  in  the  Carolinas  334 
Correspondence  between  Washing- 
ton  and    George   Washington 

Parke  Custis 73 

Correspondence  between  Washing- 
ton and  John  Parke  Custis. 533-570 
Cotton-plant,  views  of  Alexander 

Hamilton  respecting  the 341 

Councils  of  war,  held  at  Valley 
Forge   and  at  Hopewell,  New 

Jersey 212 

Cowpens,  Morgan  at  the 320 

Craik,  Dr.  James,  attends  General 
Nash  at  Qermantown 203 


PACK 

Craik,  Dr.  James,  refers  to  Indian 

prophecy,  at  Monmouth 223 

accompanied  Washington  to  the 

Ohio  in  1770 300 

effect  of  the  Indian  prophecy  on 

the  mind  of 305 

"  Crisis,"  by  Thomas  Paine 220 

Cropper,  Colonel,  anecdote  of 1 70 

Cully,  his  I'ecollections  of  Washing- 
ton's marriage 501 

Custis,  Daniel  Parke,  and  Evelyn 

Byrd 18 

loves  Martha  Dandridge 19 

marriage  of 19 

death  of 20,496 

anecdote  of 497 

children  of 496 

Custis,  Eleanor  Parke,  and  George 

Washington  Parke 394 

Custis,  Fanny  Parke,  marriage  of . .  18 
Custis,  George  Washington  Parke, 

birth  of 33 

adopted  by  Washington 38 

indulged  by  his  grandmother 38 

appointed  Comet 51 

made    aid-de-camp     to    General 

Pinckney 51 

residence  of,  at    Mount  Vernon 

after  Washington's  death 52 

marriage  of 52 

remembrance  of,  in  Washington's 

will 52 

children  of 56 

employment  of  leisure  hours  of. . .  58 

drama  written  by 59 

letters  to  his  wife 58-60 

his  talent  for  oratory 60 

oration  of,  on  the  occasion  of  the 

death  of  General  Lingan. . .  .61, 571 
oration  of,  on  the  Russian  victo- 
ries   61,585 

letter  to,  from  the  Russian  minis- 
ter   61 

speech  of,  at  Washington's  tomb, 

before  the  Amoskeag  Veterans.  64 

interest  of,  in  agricultural  affairs.  66 

a  volunteer  in  1812 66 

with  Lafayette  in  1824,  '25 66 

presents  a  ring  to  Lafayette  at 

Washington's  tomb 67,  591 

his  "Conrertations  with  Lafayette"  68 

painting  by 68 

death  and  funeral  of 69 

notice  of  in  the  National  Intelli- 
gencer   71 

personal  appearance  of. 72 

letter  of,  respecting  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton   408 

Custis,    Mnjor-General    John,    col- 
lector of  customs 18 

his  will ^ 14 

his  children 14 


634 


INDJU. 


PAOC 

Castis,   Major-General  John,  maiv 

riagc  of,  to  Fannj  Paike 15 

love-letter  of,  to  Fuib  j  Parke ....     16 
inscriptioa  on  the  tomb  of 17 

Cnstis,  John  Parke,  marriage  of,  to 

Eleanor  Calvert 33,  37 

at  college  in  New  Toi^ 37 

children  of 37 

sickens  at  Torktown,  in  camp.S54,  504 
diea  at  Eltham 38, 955, 505 

Costis,  Mn.,  character  of,  delineated    53 
death  of. 56 

Cnstis,  Mrs.  Martha,  marriage  of, 

with  Washington 21 

death  of  the  daughter  of 21 

Dandridge,  Miss  Martha 19 

marriage  of,  to  Daniel  Parke  Cns- 
tis   20,496 

children  of. 20 

"Darby's  Betum**  performed  before 

Washington 367 

Davies,  Rev.  Samnel,  his  prophetic 

allusion  to  Washineton 304 

Davi8,Tom,Wa8hingtoirs  huntsman  457 

canvass-back  dndu  shot  by 458 

Death  of  Braddock 376 

Caiy,  one  of  Washington's  ser- 
vants, at  the  age  of  one  hundred 

and  fourteen  years 451 

Cochran,  Colonel,  at  Toi^town. .  245 

Custis,  Daniel  Parke 20, 496 

Custis,  George  Washington  Parke    69 
Cnstis,    John     Parke,    at     El- 
tham  38,  255,  505 

Costis,  Mrs.  G.  W.  P 56 

Fauntleroy ,  Captain,  at  Monmonth  221 
Leslie,  Captain,  son  of  the  earl  of 

Levin 187 

Mercer,  General  Hugh 183 

Monckton,  Colonel 221 

Nash,  General 203 

Parke,  Colonel  Daniel 25 

Washington,  liCar's  narration  of .  472 
Henry  Lee's  oration  on  360, 479, 615 
proceedings  of  Congress  in  rela- 
tion to ." 479 

Death-room,  Washington's,  group  in  472 
Debtors'  prison,  Robert  Morris  in. .  327 

Washington  visits  Morris  in 327 

Colonel  William  Barton  in 329 

De  Chastellux,  Marc^nis,  Mount  Vei^ 
non  spoken  of,  m  Travels  of,  in 

America 167 

with  Washington  in  Virginia  ....  235 
Declaration  of  Independence,  notice 

of  some  sii^ners  of 395 

Deer-park  at  Mount  Vernon 389 

De  Grasse,  Count,  expected  in  Ches- 
apeake bay 231 

sketch  of 233 

fleet  of,  in  Chesapeake  bay 233 


rA« 

De  Grasse,  Coiint»  Washington's 
reception  of 236 

Despatch,  important,  to  Governor 
Trombnll ...» 283 

D'Estaing,  Count,  commands  a 
French  fleet  no  the  American 
coast 213 

Dick,  Doctor,  called  to  see  Washing- 
ton  475 

Domestic  life  of  Washington,  from 

1759  to  1775 464 

of  Mrs.  Washington 510 

Drama  written  by  John  Parke  Cus- 
tis       59 

Drawing-rooms  of  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton   395,406 

Dunlap,  William,  quoted  from 367 

Dunmore,  Lord,  marauding  expedi- 
tions of 333 

Dutchmen    as    soldiers,    Morgan's 

opinion  of 309 

Echard,  Mrs.  Snsan  R.,  description 
of  the  scene  at  Washington's 
valedictory 434 

Eden,  Sir  Robert,  governor  of  Mary- 
land   154 

Klk,  Head  of,  combined  armies  at. .  239 

Eltham,  death  of  John  Parke  Custis 
at 38,255,505 

Emigranu,  distingm'shed  French, 
sought  the  protection  of  the 
president 448 

Erskme,  Iiord,  letter  of,  to  Washing- 
ton  528 

Essays,  political,  by  churchmen,  an- 
swered by  Hamilton 341 

Ethan  Allen  and  Rivington 297 

Eutaw  Springs,  battle  at 359 

Everett,  Edward,  his  remarks  on  the 
removal  of  Washington's  re- 
mains  442 

Eyes  of  Washington,  color  of  the. .  527 

Facsimile  of  surveys  bv  Washing- 
ton  .' 445 

Fagan,  John,  Washington's  coach- 
man   424 

Father  Jack,  Washington's  fishes 

man 456 

Fauntleroy,   Captain,  death  of,    at 

Monmouth 221 

Federal  Congress,  notioo  of . . .  .287, 395 
Federal  constitution,  adoptioa  of . . .  349 

"Federalisi/'  writers  of  the 349 

Fei^nson,  Major  Patrick,  killed  at 

King's  mountain 272 

Fifci^boy,  informs  Washington    of 

the  retreat  of  Lee 217 

Fish,  Major,  at  Yorktown 241 

Fish,  Nicholas,  his  account  of  a  din- 
ner in  Paris 274 


mDKL 


635 


PAOB 

FitzgeraU.  Coloael,  his  accosnt  of 
Washington   in    the    field    at 

FriMetOA 190 

on  the  battle-field  at  Princeton. . .  192 

at  Alexandria 452 

IPorto  Meicer  and  Mifflin 194 

"  Forty-fire,"  rebellion  of 270 

"Forty-twa,"   Highland  legiment, 

called  the 270 

Fox,  kind  of,  hnnted  in  Virginia.. .  387 

the  famous  black 388 

the  red .^.' 388 

France,  expected  war  with. .'......  447 

naval  war  with 447 

Frederick  the  Qreat,  his  opinion  of 

Washington's  exploits 190 

French  and  Indian  war,  origin  of.. .  158 
French   fleet    and   annj  come   to 

America .-.  229 

Frestel,  M.,  vonng  Lafayette's  tu- 
tor, at  Monnt  Yemon 448 

Fnmnces,     Samael,    Washington's 

steward 411 

keeps  tarem  in  New  York 420 

extravagance  of^rebuked  by  Wash- 
ington   421 

Gallatin,  Albert,  his  eulogy  of  Ham" 

ilton 351 

biographical  sketch  of 351 

Gates,  General,  hie  praise  of  Mor* 

gan's  corps 268 

Gennantown,  battle  of 193 

arran^ment  of  attack  upon 197 

Americans  defeated  at 206 

effect  of  battle  of. 206 

Washington  and  soldiers  com- 
mended by  Congress  for  con- 
duct at 206 

Gibbfl,  Caleb,  commandant  of  Life- 
Guard 256 

Washington's  letters  to 258 

Giles,  Tommy 413 

Gordon,  Doctor,  relates  what  Wash- 
ington said  of  bloody  foot-printa 

of  soldiers 210 

Graves,  Admiral,  off*  the  Capes  of 

Virginia 238 

Gray,  General,  at  the  battle  of  Ger- 

mantown 203 

Great  Meadows,  conflict  at 159 

Greene,  General,  at  Germantown.. .  201 

biographical  sketch  of 323 

Washington's  favorite  officer. ....  324 
Peale's    picture    of,    at    Valley 

Forge 518 

Greene,   Rev.  Ashbel,  his  recollec- 
tions of  Wnshington 434 

Griffith,  Rev.  David,  warning  of, 

given  to  Washington 290 

bi^raphical  sketch  of 291 

Qriiwold,  Fort,  massacre  at 242 


PACK 

Grymes,  UeaMaaat,  on  the  field  at 
Germantown 196 

Gnrley,  R.  R.,  letter  of,  to  Mn.  Lee 
concerning  Mr.  Cnatis lo 

"HaU  Columbia" 368 

its  origin 369 

Hale,  Sir  Matthew,  writings  of;  at 

Mount  Vernon 171 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  ai  German- 
town .200 

at  the  battle  of  Monmouth 219 

atTorktown 240 

birthplace  of. ... « 340 

his  arrival  in  New  York 340 

views  of,  respecting  the  cotton- 
plant 341 

political  essays  by  chnrehmen  an- 
swered by 341 

thought  of  returning  to  the  West 

Indies 342 

persuaded  to  stay  in  New  York. .  342 

joins  a  volunteer  ooipa 342 

letter  of,  to  Washington,  before 

the  battle  of  Long  Island 343 

company  of  artilleiy  of,  join  the 

continental  army 344 

at  the  passage  of  the  Raritan 344 

interview  of,  with  Washington ...  344 

with  Washington 345 

dependence  of  Washington  upon.  346 
retirement  of,  from  Washington's 

family 346 

at  the  siege  of  Yorktown. . . .  240, 347 

retiree  ftom  the  army 348 

proposes  a  convention  of  the  states 
to  amend  the  Articles  of  Con- 
federation  348 

efforts  of,  in  fiivor  of  the  federal 

constitution 349 

recommended  for  secretary  of  the 

treasury 349 

his  appointment 360 

eulogy  of,  by  Gallatin 351 

his  resignation  of  the  office  of  sec- 
retary of  the  ireaenry 352 

his  prediction  respecting  the  con- 
stitution   352 

Hampton,  Washington   and    other 

officers  at 235 

Hands  of  Washington  very  large  523,  527 

Hartley.  Coloael,  anecdote  of 305 

notice  of 307 

Ha.slet,  Colonel,  death  of 186 

,  sketch  of 186 

Hazlitt,  sketch  of  Washington  from 

the  pen  of 430 

Head    of    Elk,    combined    armies 

at 239 

Headquarters  of  Washington,  notice 

of  remains  of 273 

at  Cambridge  and  Morristown. . .  273 


636 


INDEX. 


PAOB 

Headaaarters  of  Washington  at 
Newburgh,  Weit    Point,    and 

New  Windsor 274 

joy  at,  on  seeing  supplies  coming 

from  Connecticut 285 

seroral  of  the  buildings  yet  stand- 
ing  288 

Hercules,  Washington's  chief  cook.  422 

Hessians  at  Torktown 248 

afraid  of  Morgan's  riflemen 269 

how  the  J  came  to  be  in  America. .  269 

Holidays,  national,  salutes  on 429 

Home  and  household  of  Washington  400 
Hood,   Sir  Samuel,  commander  of 

the  Barfleur 238 

Hope  Park,  residence  of  the  Calvert 

family 114 

Horses,  Washington's 385 

Hondon,  his  half  bust  of  Washington  5 1 7 

Hounds,  Washington's 384 

present  of,  to  Washington  from 

Lafayette 386 

Howe,  Sir  William,  army  of,  quar- 
tered at  Gennantown 194 

Humphreys,   Colonel,   biographical 

sketch  of 373 

at  Mount  Vernon 373 

one  of  Washington's  secretaries. . .  394 

recites  his  poetry  at  night 399 

Hunt  at  Mount  Vernon 390 

Hunttng^hirt,  the 264 

Custis's  remarks  on 266 

Washington's  advocacy  of  it 266 

"  Hunting-shirt  fellows,"  anecdote  of  268 
Huntsman,  Tom  Davis,  Washing- 
ton's   457 

Inauguration  of  President  Adams . .  433 
Independent  Blues  of  Alexandria, 

reviewed  by  Washington 452 

Indian  prophecy 223, 3O0 

reUted  by  Dr.  Craik 304 

Indian  war  in  the  West 416 

Intelligencer,      National,     Custis's 

''RecolUdioM*'  printed  in 9 

Izard,  Ralph,  resemblance   of,    to 

Washington 485 

notice  of 485 

Jackson,  Major,  Washington's  aid- 
de-camp  394 

JackBon,  one  of  Washington's 
chargers 425 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  his  opinion  of 
Washington 214 

Jersey  prison-ship.  General  Lingan 
among  the  sufferers  in  the 574 

Kanawha,  Washington's  visit  to  the, 

in  1770 300 

King's  Mountain,  battle  of 272 

Major  Patrick  Ferguson  killed  at.  272 


PACK 

King  of  Spain,  asses  presented  to 

Washington  by 455 

Knapp,  Uzal,  last  survivor  of  Wash- 
ington's Life-Guard 262 

sketch  of 262 

Kno  wlton.  Colonel,  his  military  corps  256 
Knox,  General,  at  Germantown. . . .  200 
opposed  to  leaving  Chew's  house 

in  the  rear 200 

proposes  the  society  of  the  Cincin> 

nati .' 409 

Kruse,  John,  Washington's  coach- 
man  425 

Lady  Washington's  dragoons,  Bay- 
lor's corps 259 

Lafayette,  Marquis  de,  visit  of,  to 

the  United  States 67 

at  the  tomb  of  Washington 67, 591 

visit  of,  to  Washington's  mother .   144 

at  Mount  Vernon 144 

in  council  of  war,  near  Monmouth  212 

in  Virginia .232, 334 

refuses  the   honor   of  capturing 

Comwallis 234 

influence  of,  with  De  Grasse 237 

wife  of 237 

anecdote  of 248 

at  Barren  Hill 260 

imprisonment  and  exile  of 449 

asses   presented   to    Washington 

by 455 

astonishment  of,  at  the  size  of  his 

Viiiginia  recruits 485 

urged  Trumbull  to  paint  an  eques- 
trian portrait  of  Washington. . .  529 

ring  presented  to,  by  Custis 591 

Lafayette,  George  Washington,  let- 
ter of,  to  Mr.  Custis 67 

residence  of,  at  Mount  Vernon. 96, 448 
his   departure   from   the  United 

Sutes 449 

Lamb,  Colonel  John,  sketch  of. ... .  242 
Lansdowne,  Marquis  of,  portrait  of 

Washington  painted  tor  ...  522,  624 
Land  speculation,  career  of  Robert 

Morris  and  others  in 326 

Last  hours  of  Washington 472 

Lank,  Mr.,  last  survivor  of  Morgan's 

rifle  corps 309 

Laurens,  Colonel  John,  at  the  battle 

of  Germantown 199 

sketch  of 241 

at  Torktown 241, 348 

Lear,  Tobias 394 

his  account  of  Washington's  recep- 
tion of  the  news  of  St.  Clair's 

defeat 418 

Washington's  secretanr 472 

his    narrative    of    Washington's 

death 472 

Ledyard,  Colonel,  death  of 578 


INDEX. 


637 


PAGE 

Lee,  Qeneral  Charles,  against  pro- 
posed attack  on  Clinton 212 

his   misconduct  at  the  battle  of 

Monmoath 219 

his  interview  with  Washington  at 

Monmouth 293 

Lee,  Henry,  letter  of,  to  young  Cus- 

tis 57 

sketch  of 356 

anecdote  of,  when  at  cotlege 356 

exploit  of,  at  Paulus's  Hook.  .357,  562 

legion  of,  in  the  South 358 

officers  of 358 

exploit  of,  near  Valley  Forge. . . .  358 

at  Eutaw  Springs 359 

retires  from  the  army 359 

commander  of  troops  to  put  down 
the  "  Whiskey  Insurrection". .  359 

a  delegate  in  Congress 359 

his  oration  on  the  occasion  of  the 
death  of  Washington.  .360, 479,  615 

misfortunes  of 361 

death  of 361 

character  of 361 

his  impromptu  eulogium  of  Pat- 
rick Henry 362 

his  words  concerning  Washington  362 

attachment  of»  to  Washington 363 

Lee,  Mrs.  Mary  Custis,  wife  of  Colo- 
nel R.  E.  Lee 56 

Lee,  Richard  Henry,  and  the  Conti- 
nental Congress 331 

Leslie,  Captain,  son  of  the  earl  of 

Levin,  death  of. 187 

Letter  to  author  of  "ReedUctions  " 
concerning  an  officer  killed  at 

Germantown 205 

Letters  of  Byrd,  Colonel  William. 27-^3 
Baron  von  Washington  respecting 

his  &mily 126 

Custis,    Daniel    Parke,    to    his 

wife 58-60 

respecting  Mrs.  Washington. . .  408 
Custis,  Q.  W.  P.,  to  Qideon  Snow    40 

to  Washington 73-116 

Custis,  John  Parke  and  Washing- 
ton  533-570 

Custis,  Major-Greneral   John,  to 

Fanny  Parke 16 

Earl  of  Bnchan  to  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton   611 

Gurley,  R.  R.,  to  Mrs.  Lee  respect- 
ing Mr.  G.  W.  P.  Custis 10 

Hamilton  to  Washinirton,  before 

the  battle  of  Long  Island 343 

Lafayette,  George  Washington  to 

Mr.  G.  W.  P.  Custis 67 

Lee,  Henry,  to  young  Custis 57 

Lord  Erskine  to  Washington 528 

M'Henry,  James,  to  G.  W.  P.  Cus- 
tis       51 

Madison  to  Mrs.  G.  W.  P.  Custis.65,66 


Letters  of  Parke,  Colonel  Darnel, 

to  his  daughter 15,  23 

Potter,  Colonel,  respecting  speech 

of  Mr.  Custis 64 

Russian   minister  to    G.  W.  P. 

Custis 61 

Snow,  Gideon,  to  G.  W.  P.  Cus- 
tis       39 

Waller,  Benjamin,  to  Mrs.  Martha 

Custis 498 

Washington  to  Benedict  Calvert . .  34 

Nelly  Custis 41 

Lawrence  Lewis 45, 46,  49 

G.  W.  P.  Custis 73-116 

Mr.  M'Dowell,  president  of  col- 
lege at  Annapolis 98 

deceptive 233 

Caleb  Gibbs 258 

respecting  a  dancing  assembly 

at  Alexandria 366 

Mr.  Rumney  . . . .  ^ 372 

copied   by  Rawlins,  not  to  be 

found 438 

John  Parke  Custis 533-570 

Washington,  Mrs.,  respecting  the 

remains  of  her  husband 441 

to  J.  P.  Custis  and  his  wife. ...  547 
Levees,  kind    of  persons  who  at- 
tended the 409 

Lewis,  Lawrence,  Washington's  le^ 

ters  to 45, 46, 49 

Washington's  secretary 394 

marriage  of,  to  Nelly  Custis,  at 

Mount  Vernon 450 

Lewis,  Mrs.  Eleanor  Parke  Custis. .     39 

her  beauty  and  character 40 

Lexington,  news  of  battle  of 282 

events  connected  with  battle  of. . .  282 

Life  at  Mount  Vernon 370 

Life-Guard,  Washington's 256 

how  organized 256 

historic  sketch  of 257 

uniform  of. 257 

reorganization  of. 258 

William  Colfax,  commandant  of.  259 

at  Monmouth 261 

in  the  retreat  from  Barren  Hill. . .  261 
Uzal  Enapp,  last  survivor  of  ... .  262 

Life-pictures,  outline 462 

Ling^n,  General  James  M.,  Cnstis's 

oration  on  the  death  of 571 

Liquor,  agreement  of  Philip  Barter 
with    Washington,  to    abstain 

from 445 

Long,    Captain    Gabriel,  at    Mon- 
mouth    262 

captain  in  Morgan's  regiment. ...  311 
Long  Island,  reference  to  battle  of  .  247 

battle  of 265,  344 

prisoners  at 266 

Louis  Philippe,  visit  of,  at  Mount 
Vernon 448 


638 


INDEX. 


PACK 

M'Comb,  Wafhingtoa  oocnpie*  the 

hoQM  of 400 

M'Dowell«  Mr.,  prMident  of  college 
at  AuBapolU,  Washingtoa's  let- 
ter to 98 

M'Fingal,  qaotation  from 227 

M'Henry,  James,  letter  of,  to  G.  W. 

P.  Cuitis 51 

M'lvcra,  Mrs.,  accident  to,  at  Mrs. 

Washington's  reception 396 

M'Lane,  Allen,  at  Barren  Hill 260 

M'Pherson  Blues,  a  gnard  of  honor  479 

only  snrrivors  of 479 

Madison,  President,  letters  of,  to  Mr. 

G.  W.  P.  Custis 65,  66 

Magnolia 426 

Marbois,  M.,  dinner  giren    bj,  to 

Americans  in  Paris 274 

Marqu^,  Washington's  description 

of 279 

where  made,  and  by  whom 280 

Marriage,   Cnlly's    recollections   of 

Washington's 501 

Custis,  Fanny  Parke 18 

Custis,  John  Parke,  to  Eleanor 

Calvert 3^,  37 

Custis,    Major-General   John,  to 

Fanny  Parke 16 

Custis,  Mrs.  Martha,  with  Wash- 
ington  21,  502 

Dandridge,  Miss  Martha,  to  Dan- 
iel Parke  Custis 20, 496 

Maryland,  Annapolis,  the  old  cq>ital 

of 154 

Massacre  of  corps  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Baylor 259 

Mathews,  Colonel,  at  Germantown  .  202 

Matson's  Ford 261 

Mawhood,  Colonel,  regiment  of,  at 

Princeton 187 

in  battle  at  Princeton 191 

Memoirs,  Washington  declines  af- 
fording materials  for  his 437 

Memoir    of     Geoi^    Washington 

Parke  Custis 172 

Mercer,  General  Hugh,  death  of.. . .  180 
monument  to,  ordered  by  Con- 
gress   182 

son  of,  educated  by  the  public. ...  182 

particulars  of  death  of 184 

monument  in  memory  of 184 

funeral  ceremonies  of. 185 

Merchantmen,  armed,  salutes  of,  be- 
fore Mount  Vernon 447 

Mifflin,  Thomas,  on  recruiting  ser- 
vice   332 

biographical  sketch  of. 403 

Militia, Washington's  opinion  of.  187,  538 
Minuet,  danced  by  Washington. . . .  366 

Molly,  Captain,  at  Monmouth 224 

sketch  of 225 

exploits  of. 286 


PACI 

Monckton,  Colonel,  death  of,  at  Mott- 

month 221 

Monmouth  courthouse,  American 

army  approadi  to 211 

Monmontfa,  battle  of 811 

Konmonth,  events  on  the  field  of  . .  218 
retreat  of  Americans  at,  checked.  221 

retreat  of  British  from 226 

Congress  thanks  Washington  and     - 

soldiers  for  conduct  at 227 

night-scene  in  the  commandcMn- 

chiefs  tent,  near 289 

Monongahela,  Braddock  at  the  bat- 
tle of  the  374 

Moore's  house,  at  Yorktown,  place 
where  capitulation  was  agreed 

upon 253 

Moreau,  John  B.,  his  collection  of 

Washington's  portraits 480 

Morgan,  Daniel 308 

his  corps  at  Monmouth 262 

his  laugh  at  the  Life-Gnard 262 

corps  of,  with  Arnold  at  Quebec  .  .267 
riflemen   of,  made   prisoners   at 

Quebec 267 

description  of  riflemen  of. 267 

General  Gates's  praise  of  corps  of  268 

rifle  corps  of,  how  formed 270 

biog^phical  sketch  of. 308 

accompanies  Arnold   across    the 

wilderness 809 

his  opinion  of  "  Dutchmen  "  as  sol- 
diers   309 

personal  reminiscence  of. 310 

disobeys  orders 313 

interview  of,  with  Washington. . .  315 

anticipating  disgrace 317 

Washington's  forgiveness  of 319 

cong^titulated  by  officers 319 

at  the  Cowpons 320 

member  of  Consrress 321 

his  opinion  of  Washington 322 

demurs  at  General  Lee's  appoint- 
ment   359 

Morris,  Robert 328 

in  Washington's  camp  at  Dobb's 

Ferry 231 

loans  money  of  a  Quaker 294 

his  financial  aid  to  the  colonies  . .  325 
one  of  Washington's   b^t-loved 

friends 325 

his  services  in  the  cause  of  his 

country 325 

Washington's  favorite  guest 326 

his  inclination  to  speculate 326 

in  prison,  visited  bjf  Washington  .  327 
how  treated  by  his  countrymen. . .  328 

appearance  or,  in  prison  1 328 

recommends  Hamilton  for  secre- 
tary of  the  treasury 349 

establishes  Bank  of  North  Amer- 
ica   350 


INDEX. 


639 


PAGB 

Morris,  Bobert,  Washington's  wel- 
come g^uest 430 

Morristown,  camp  at,  alarmed 189 

headquarters  at 273 

location  of  headqaarters  at 275 

Mossoro,  Rev.  David,  officiated  at 

Washington's  marriage 502 

anecdote  of 503 

Mother  of  Washington,  memoir  of .  125 

ancestors  of 129 

character  of 130 

recollections     of,    by    Lawrence 

Washington 131 

residence  of,  during  the  war 135 

her  patriotism 137 

example  of 139 

foreign  officers  astonished  at  sim- 
ple manners  of. US 

her  fear  of  lightning 141 

Washington's  last  visit  to  her. ...  141 

visited  by  Lafayette 144 

personal  appearance  of 146 

resemblance  of  daughter  of,  to  the 

general 147 

grave  of,  and  monument  to 148 

Moulder,  Captain,  commands  artil- 
lery at  Princeton 191 

maker  of  Washington's  tents 280 

Mount  Vernon,  visit  of  Amoskeag 

Veterans  to 62 

Washington  at 151 

Mount  Vernon,  origin  of  the  name 

of 152 

spoken  of  by  De  Chastellux  in  his 

Travels 167 

life  at 370 

improvements  at 371, 449 

visit  of  Louis  Philippe  at 448 

visit  of  a  German  gentleman  at  . .  460 

associations  of 462 

mansion  of,  described 503 

guests  at 505 

Males,    extraordinary,    raised    by 

Washington 456 

Munson,  Dr.  Eneas,  his  account  of 

Washinirton  at  Yorktown 279 

Mnsgrave,   Lieutenant  •  Colonel,  at 

battle  of  Gcrraantown 198 

Mysteries  of  the  Revolution 289 

Narraganset  pony  at  Mount  Ver- 
non   458 

Nash,  General,  mortally  wounded  at 

Germantown 202 

death  of 203 

burial-place  of 204 

monument  to 204 

Naval,  ennragcment  between  English 
and  French  off  Capes  of  Vir- 
ginia    239 

Neely,  Matthew,  child  of,  in  Ireland, 
named  George  Washington 172 


PAGE 

Nelson,  Mr.,  Washington's  secretary  394 
Nelson,  Secretary,  house  of,  at  York- 
town,  injured 244 

Nelson,  Thomas,  notice  of. 330 

signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence    332 

active  as  a  military  officer 333 

sacrifices  of,  for  his  country 336 

at  the  siege  of  Yorktown 336 

patriotism  of. 243,  336 

obtains  money  on  his  own  security 

for  public  use 337 

house  of 837 

losses  of,  never  made  up  by  the 

government 338 

beloved  by  Washington 338 

his  son  made  Washington's  pri- 
vate secretary 338 

family  of,  left  in  poverty 339 

official  career  of 339 

Nelson,  war-horse  of  Washington  at 

Yorktown 249 

at  Mount  Vernon 249 

Newburgh,    headquarters     at,    de- 
scribed    274 

representation  of,  in  Paris 274 

New  Windsor,  headqaarters  at 274 

Nicholas,  Colonel  John,  of  the  Life- 

Guard 262 

Nicholas,  Robert  C,  legal  adviser  of 

Mrs.  Custis 497 

Nicholson  John,   in  Walnut   street 

prison 328 

Norfolk,  ravages  of  British  in  neigh- 
hood  of 334 

North  Lord,  his    reception  of  the 
news  of  Comwallis's  defeat 250 

Ode,  birth-night 365 

Ogle,   Governor,  Washington    pro- 
cured deer  from 389 

O'Hara,  General,  delivers  Comwal- 
lis's  sword  to  Lincoln 248 

Old  Point  Comfort,  Washington  and 
other  officers  at 235 

Oration  of  G.  W.  P.  Castis  on  occa- 
sion of  the  death  of  Lingan. ...  571 
in  celebration  of  the  Russian  vic- 
tories over  Napoleon 585 

of  General  Lee  on  the  death  of 
Washington 615 

Original  portraits  of  Washington  516,  624 

Outline  life-pictures 462 

Paine,  Thomas,  author  of  "  The  Cri- 
sis"   220 

Paper-money,  issues  of,  by  Congress  335 

depreciation  of 335 

Parke,  Colonel  Daniel,  letters  of,  to 

his  daughter 1 5,  2^ 

bearer  of  news  of  battle  of  Blen- 
heim to  Queen  Anne 23 


640 


INDEX. 


PACK 

Parke,  Colonel  Daniel,  accoant  of. .     22 
governor  of  Leeward  Islands. ...     24 

death  of 25 

will  of 26 

Parliament,  British,  debates  in,  con- 

cerningcessation  of  the  war. . .  250 
Paalns's     Hook,    position    of  and 

events  at 357,  562 

Washington  at 402 

Peale,  Charles  Wiltson,  description 
of  his  first  portrait  of  Washing- 
ton   516 

Washington's  full-length  portrait 

by 518 

biographical  sketch  of 518 

his    accoant     of    Washington's 

strength 519 

Peale,  James 524 

Peale,  Rembrandt,  his  recollections 
of  Washington's  valedictory. . .  434 

portrait  of  Washington,  by 524 

equestrian  portrait  of  Washington, 

by 524 

Piercy,   Captain,  commands    Inde- 
pendent Blues  at  Alexandria..  452 
Pepper,    Mrs.,   letter    of    Colonel 

Custis  to 18 

Personal  appearance  of  Washington  480 
Peters,    Richard,  in    Washington's 

camp  at  Dobbs's  Ferry 231 

Pinckney,  Colonel,  at  German  town.  200 
his  opinion  of  Washington's  judg- 
ment    360 

Poellniiz,  Baron  de,  thrashing  ma- 
chine of 167 

Portraits  of  Washington,  Moreau's 

collection  of 480 

general  resemblance  among  the. .  480 

originals  at  Arlington  House 516 

an  equestrian,  by  Trumbull 519 

by  Charles  Willson  Peale 516 

by  Gilbert  Charies  Stuart 520 

painted    for    Marquis    of    Lans- 

downe 522 

by  Wertmuller 526 

notice  of  all  the  original 624 

Potter,  Colonel,  letter  of,  to  Mr.  Los- 
sing,  concerning  Mr.   Custis's 

speeoh 64 

Prescott,     one     of     Washington's 

chargers 425 

Presidency,  first  year  of  the 393 

"  President's  March  " 368 

Presidential  mansion,  visiters  at.. . .  414 

Pretender,  Scotch,  notice  of 270 

Princeton,  battle  of 179 

Prison,  Walnut  street,  Morris  and 

his  friends  in 327 

Prisoner  for  Debt,  poem,  by  J.  G. 

Whittier,  extract  from 329 

Prisoners,  deposition  of,  taken  at 
Yorktown 250 


Pacs 

Privateering,  Washington  a  specu- 
lator in  the  profits  of 533,  545 

Proctor,  Colonel 412, 429 

Prophecy,  Indian 300 

Dr.    Craik    refers    to,    at   Mon- 
mouth   223 

Pulaski,  Count,  at  battle  of  German- 
town 195 

sketch  of 195 

Putnam,  Israel,  hears  of  the  battle  of 

Lexington 282 

biographical  sketch  of 282 

Quakers  opposed  to  the  Revolution.  295 
Quebec,  Benedict  Anioid's  expedi- 
tion to 267, 309 

Ramsay,  Lieutenant  -  Colonel,  at 
Monmouth 219 

Rawlins,  Albert,  employed  to  copy 
Washington's  letters 437 

Recollections  and  private  memoirs 
of  Washington,  author's  pref- 
ace to  121 

Redoubt,  British  at  Yorktown,  taken 
by  storm 241 

Reed,  Colonel,  at  Germantown 200 

Remains  of  Washington,  remarks  of 
Edward  Everett  respecting  re- 
moval of 442 

final  action  of  Congress  respect- 
ing  443 

Retreat  of  American  array  at  Mon- 
mouth    217 

from  Barren  Hill 261 

Revolution,  crowning  event  of 247 

mysteries  of  the 289 

Rickets's  opinion  of  Washington  as 
a  horseman 485 

Rivington,     James,      biographical 

sketch  of 293 

hated  by  the  whigs 295 

his  secret  service    for  Washing- 
ton  296,299 

Freneau's  satire  on 296 

Rochambeau,  Count,  with  Washing- 
ton in  Virginia 231, 235 

Robert  Morris 323 

Rodney,  Admiral,  in  West  Indies  . .  238 

Rogers,  Colonel 413 

Ross,  Mr.,  rewarded  for  finding  a 
money-borrower 498 

Rumney,  Mr.,  letter  of  Washington 
to 171,372 

Rush,  Dr.  Benjamin,  attends  Captain 

Leslie 186 

sketch  of 186 

Rush,  Richard 178, 418 

Russian  minister,  letter  of,  to  G.  W. 
P.  Custis 61 

Russian  victories,  oration  on,  by  G. 
W.P.  Custis 585 


INDEX. 


641 


Sachem,  Indian,  meets  Washington 
in  the  Ohio  conn  try  and  prophe- 
sies   302 

St.  Clair,  General,  defeat  of. 416 

Washington's  anger  on    hearing 

of  defeat  of 417 

first  interview  of,  with  Washing- 
ton after  his  defeat 419 

St.  Simon,  Marquis  de,  at  liead  of 
troops  on  De  Gvasse's  fleet 233 

Saratoga,  infloenco  in  Europe  of  the 

victory  at 208 

Scott,  General  Charles 413 

biographical  sketch  of 414 

Servant,  Billy,  Washington's  favor- 
ite  157,224,379 

Bishop,    Thomas,    Washington's 
oldest 158, 161, 374,377 

Sbarpless,  profile  likeness  of  Wash- 
ington and  G.  W.  Lafayette, 
by 517,525 

Sheep-shearing,  annual,  at  Arling- 
ton House 583 

Sherman,  Roger 395 

Siege  of  Boston 280 

Charleston 334 

Sigoumey,  Mrs.,  poem  of,  on  the 
tomb  of  Washington's  mother. .  149 

Simcoe,  Lieutenant-Colonel 201 

Sinclair,  Sir  John,  Washington's 
correspondence  with 446 

Sister  of  Washington  (Mrs.  Fielding 
Lewis),  resemblance  of,  to  her 
brother 147 

Smallwood,  Colonel,  regiment  of  189, 264 
at  battle  of  Long  Island 265 

Smith,  Lieutenant-Colonel  William 

8 373 

adventure  of,  with  Bishop 377 

Smith,  Samuel  Stanhope,  president 
of  college  at  Princeton 77 

Smith,  Stuart's  manikin  when 
painting  the  figure  of  Washing- 
ton   521 

Snow,  Gideon,  Custis's  letter  to. . . .     40 
letter  of,  to  Custis 39 

Sportsman,  Washington  as  a 384 

Stable,  Washington's,  in  Philadel- 
phia  397 

Stag,  carcass  of  the  Washington. . .  391 

Statue  of  Washington,  by  Canora  .  525 

Stephen,  General  Adam,  conduct  of, 
at  Germantown 196 

Steuben,  Baron,  at  Monmouth 223 

in  Virginia 334 

Stewart,  Colonel,  at  Monmouth. ...  219 

Stewart,  General  Walter 395, 404 

Stockton,  Richard,  wife  of 177 

biographical  sketch  of. 177 

Strength  of  arm  of  Washington 519 

Stuart,  Dr.  Darid,  husband  of  Mr. 
Custis's  mother 86 


PAGE 

Stuart,  Dr.  David,  Washington's  let- 
ter to,  concerning  reception  days  407 
Stuart,  Gilbert  Charles,  portraits  of 

Washington  by 520,  628 

biographical  sketch  of 520 

Sullivan,  General,  at  Germantown.  199 

Surrender  of  Charleston 334 

Surrender  of  Comwallis's  army  at 
Yorktown 229, 247 

Tarleton,  Colonel,  slighted  at  Tork- 

town 251 

humiliated  in  the  street  at  York- 

town 253 

anecdote  of 253 

sketch  of 253 

Teeth,  Washington  lost  his,  in  1789  520 
Theatre  in  New  York,  Washington's 

attendance  at 367 

Theatrical    company,    old    Ameri- 
can   367, 368 

The  retired  president 433 

Thomson,  Charles,  at  MonntVemon  382 

sketch  of 382 

Tilghman,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  car- 
ries news  of  capture  of  Com- 

wallis  to  Congress 246 

Tomb  of  Major-General  John  Cus- 
tis, inscription  on 17 

of  Washington,  speech  of  G.  W. 

P.  Custis  at 64,  591 

Lafayette  at  the 591 

Tomb  for  Washington,  proposed. . .  444 

Tory,  term  of,  how  derived 332 

Tour,  Washington's,  to  the  eastern 

states 398 

Treason  of  General  Lee 292 

Treaty  with  France  proclaimed  at 

Valley  For^ 278 

Trenton,  Washington's  reception  at  393 
Trumbull,  Governor,  important  de- 
spatch to 283 

TrumouU,  John,  the  artist 285 

his  e<]fuestrian  portrait  of  Wash- 
ington and  its  faithfulness.  .519, 520 
Trumbull,  Jonathan,   admitted    to 
president's   house   on  Sunday 

evenings 174 

important  despatch  to,  from  Wash- 
ington   283 

Welcome  supplies  from,  at  camp- 
of  Washington 285 

Valedictory  of  President  Washing- 
ton, Mrs.  Echard's  description  of  434 
Rembrandt   Peale's   recollections 

of 434 

Valley   Forgo,    American    winter- 
quarters  there 208 

mareh  of  Americans  to 209 

head(^uarter8  at 275 

suffenngsof  the  American  army  at  276 


41 


642 


INPEX. 


Valley  Forge,  how  the  army  at,  ob- 
tuincd  supplies 277 

Viindeput,  Captain,  at  New  York. .  342 

Vaults,  old  and  new,  at  Mount  Ver- 
non   439 

Vcrgennes,  Count  de,  feelings  of,  on 
hearing  of  the  battle  at  German- 
town 208 

Vessels,  English,  burned  at  York- 
town 240 

Villc  de  Paris 235 

battle  of,  with  British  ship  Bar- 
fleur 238 

Virginia,  Benedict  Arnold's  invasion 

of 232,233 

Vulcan,  a  French  hound,  anecdote  of  388 

'Waller,  Benjamin,  letter  of,  to  Mrs. 

Martha  Custis 498 

Walnu^street  prison,  John  Nichol- 
son in  328 

Wansey,  visit  of,  to  Washington  . . .  408 
War-tent,  Washington's,  at  Arling- 

ton  Spring 65 

War-sword,  Washington's 160 

Washington,  Baron  Von,  letter  of, 

concerning  his  family 1 26 

Washington,  Bushrod 470 

Washington,  Fort,  captured  by  the 

British  and  Hessians 344 

Washington  Lawrence 152 

Washington,  George,  letter  of,  to 
Benedict  Calvert,  concerning  the 

marriage  of  J.  P.  Custis 34 

adopts  two  of  the  children  of  J.  P. 

Custis 38,  255 

letter  of,  to  Nelly  Custis,  concern- 
ing love  and  coquetry 41 

letter  of,  to  Lawrence  Lewis 45 

orders  marriage  license  for  Law- 
rence Lewis  and  Nelly  Custis. .     45 
appointed  commander-in-chief  of 

the  armv  in  1 797 46 

correspondence  of. . .  .73,  467,  533,  570 

ancestors  of 125 

birth-place  of,  marked 1 27 

displayed 133 

appointment  of,  as  commander-in- 
chief  of  American  army  in  1 775 .  1 34 

wife  of,  in  camp 138 

anecdote  of,  respecting  an  alarm  .   138 

visit  of,  to  his  mother 141 

dances  a  minuet 143 

last  visit  of,  to  his  mother 145 

at  Mount  Vernon 151 

letter  of,  to  his  wife,  announcing 
his  appointment  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  army  in  1775 151 

member  of  Virginia  assembly. ...  153 

his  election  expenses 153 

his  personal   ap-  (   155,164,385,430 
pearance (  485, 487, 492 


Washington,    Gooi^,    member    of 

Continental  Congress 155 

habiu  of,  at  Mount  Vernon 156 

a  surveyor 156 

as  a  master  of  slaves 157 

aversion  of,  to  medicine 162 

an  early  riser 1 62 

ill  health  of,  in  French  war 162 

his  great  labors 163 

his  importations  from  London  ...  163 
his  appearance  on  horseback  when 

abroad 164,385 

his  dress 165 

his  inspection  of  his  stables 1 65 

called  to  command  independent 

companies  in  1774 165 

diet  of 166 

his  agricultural  improvements 167 

products  of  his  estate 167 

Nelson,  the  favorite  chaigcr  of.  166, 249 

on  bis  farm 168 

dining  hour  of 169 

«■  habits  of,  at  dinner 169 

•  his  invariable  "  Toast " . .  1 69,  250, 452 
f  habits  of,  in  his  family 171 

child  in  Ireland  named  after ^him  .  172 

.    an  observer  of  the  Sabbath 173 

a  communicant  of  the  Protestant 

Episcopal  church 173 

^  his  moral  power  and  his  sympa- 
thies    175 

Gouvemeur  Morris  rebuked  by. . .  175 
journey  of,  to  scat  of  government 
a  continued  scene  of  triumph. .  176 

his  opinion  of  militia 187, 538 

made  dictator 188 

in  battle  at  Princeton 190 

approaching  Germantown 194 

exposure  of,  at  Germantown 201 

letter  of,  to  Congress,  concerning 

the  battle  of  Germantown 207 

on  the  march  to  Valley  Forge  . . .  209 

determines  to  attack  Clinton 213 

summary  of  exploits  of 215 

on  the  6eld  of  Monmouth 220 

exposure  of,  at  Monmouth 222 

sends  deceptive  letters 233 

visits  De  Grasse's  flag-ship 235 

at  Williamsbure: 240 

•  has  domestic  affliction 254 

V  at  the  death-bed  of  J.  P.  Custis .  255,  505 

journey  of,  to  the  Ohio  in  1770  . .  300 
his  defence  of  the  soldiers'  rights 

to  land 300 

company  with,  in  the  Ohio  country  302 
meets  an  Indian  sachem  in  the 

Ohio  country 302 

speech  of  Indian  sachem  respect- 
ing  303 

clemency  of 319, 320 

refuses  to  go  into  a  land  specula- 
tion with  Robert  Morris 326 


INDEX. 


643 


PACE 

Washington,  George,  advice  of,  to 

Eobert  Morris 326 

commander-in-chief  of  the  provi- 
sional army  in  1798 327 

visits  Robert  Morris  in  prison. . . .  327 
happy  in  the  selection  of  his  officers  345 

•  letter  (7f,  respecting  a  dancing  as- 

sembly at  Alexandria 366 

•  his  love  of  theatrical  performances  366 

at  the  theatre  in  New  York 367 

in  retirement  at  Mount  Ver- 
non   370,  453, 464 

resignation  of  commission  of. 370 

life  of,  at  Moant  Vernon 371 

drawings  by 371 

letter  of,  to  Mr.  Ramney,  respect- 
ing paving-stone 372 

at  the  oattle  of  the  Monongahela.  375 

called  to  convention  of  1 787 381 

announcement  to,  of  his  election 

to  the  presidency  of  the  United 

States 382,  467 

#      as  a  sportsman 384 

kennel  of. 384 

horses  and  hounds  of 385 

appearance  of,  when  hunting 385 

hunting  habits  of 386 

on  horseback 386 

last  hunt  of 389 

reception  of,  at  Trenton 393 

inaugurated  first  president  of  the 

United  States 393 

residence  of,  in  New  York 394 

levees  of 396 

severe  illness  of,  in  New  York  . . .  398 
attempted  stealthy  departure  of, 

from  New  York  in  1790 400 

embarkation  of,  from  New  York  in 

1790 401 

journey  of,  from  New  York  to 

Mount  Vernon  in  1 790 402 

in  Philadelphia  and  Mount  Vernon  405 

home  and  household  of 406 

public  days  of. 406 

exacts  weekly  reports   from  his 

agents 410 

endeavors  of,  to  avoid  notoriety.  .411 
anger  of,  on  learning  St.  Clair's 

defeat 417 

parting  of,  with  his  officers  at  New 

York  in  1783 420 

tour  of,  to  southern  states  in  1791  424 

punctuality  of 427 

personal  description  of 430, 487 

private  papers  of 436 

nis  farewell  dinner 436 

remains  of,  asked  by  government 

for  interment  under  the  capital.  440 
final  action  of  Congress  respecting 

remains  of. 443 

surveys  made  by 445 

facsimile  of 445 


Washington,  George,  rides  of,  over 

his  estate 446 

dines  at  Alexandria 451 

reviews  trpops  at  Alexandria 452 

habits  of,  respecting  correspond- 
ence  454 

once  thrown  from  a  horse 459 

in   the   old   French   and   Indian 

war 463 

from  1759  till  1775  in  domestic  life 

and  in  continental  Congress. . .  464 
as  commander-in-chief  of  armies  .  464 

his  return  from  victory 464 

in  retirement 464 

visited  by  Lafayette 465 

in  convention  of  states 466 

president  of  the  United  States. . .  468 

last  military  command  of 469 

last  employment  of,  at  Mount  Ver- 
non  " 472 

f^    commencement  of  illness  of 473 

Lear's  account  of  illness  of 473 

last  night  of  the  life  of «; . .  475 

calls  for  his  wills 476 

his  death 476,  497,  510 

interment  of 477, 478 

weight,  size,  form,  and   features 

of 481,527 

Trumbuirs  equestrian  portrait  of.  481 
examples  of  bis  power  of  arm .  482,  483 
power  of  the  limbs  and  size  of 

hands  of 484 

physiognomy  of 485 

personal  appearance  of,  admired 

in  New  York  in  1773 486 

sketch  of  personal  appearance  of, 

by  an  unknown  hand 487-490 

awe  and  reverence  inspired  by  . . .  489 
personal  recollections  of,  by  Sulli- 
van    492 

journey  of,  toward  Williamsburg.  499 
first  acquaintance  of,  with  Mrs. 

Custis 500 

courtship  and  marriage  of . . . .  500-502 
call  of,  into  public  life  in  1787  . . .  505 

I>ortraits  of 516,  624 
OSS  of  the  teeth  of 520 

anecdote  of  bis  sitting  to  Stuart. .  522 
directions  of,  respecting  manage- 
ment of  his  farms 595 

Funeral  oration,  by  General  Lee, 

before  Congress 615 

Washington,  Mrs.,  at  headquarters.  287 

drawing-rooms  of 395, 408 

accident  at  drawing-room  of 396 

beloved  in  the  army 403 

Griswold  statement  respecting. . .  408 
narrow  escape  of,  in  a  caniage. . .  426 
letter  of,  concerning  the  remains 

of  her  husband 441 

an  accomplished  Virginian  house- 
wife   455 


644 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Washington,  Mn .,  grandchildren  of, 
sent  for  on  occasion  of  Wash- 
ington's illness 475 

at  the  death-bed  of  her  husband. .  477 

ancestry  and  birth  of 496 

first  marriage  of 496 

children  of 496 

death  of  children  of 496 

death  of  husband  of 497, 510 

legal  advisers  of 497 

first  acquaintance  of,  with  Wash- 
ington   499 

in  continental  camp 508,  504 

leaves  home  for  public  life  in  New 

York 506 

establishment  of,  in  New  York. . .  506 

in  public  lifo  in  New  York 507 

renewals  of  acquaintance  with. . .  507 
attendance  of,  on  religious  ser- 
vices   508 

visits  of  old  soldiers  to 508 

retirement  of,  to  domestic  life. . . .  509 

devotional  practices  of 509 

description  of,  in  domestic  life.. . .  510 
yields  the  remains  of  her  husband 

to  the  federal  government 51 1 

letter  of  condolence  to,  from  the 

Earl  of  Buchau 511 

mode  of  life  of,  afler  her  husband's 

death 513 

death  of 513 

personal  appearance  of 514 

neatness  of 514 

miniature  of,  worn  by  her  husband  528 

Washington,  Mrs.  Lund 39 

Washington,  William,  sketch  of 354 

"  Washington's  March" 309 

Watson,  John  F.,  erects  monuments 
to  Generals  Nash  and  Agnew, 

and  Lieutenant  Bird 204 

Wayne,  General  Anthony 212 

Wertmnller,  portrait  of  Washington 

bv 526 

Westford,  resident  at  Mount  Ver- 
non   157 


FAGB 

West  Point,  Washington  at 274 

Whig,  term  of,  how  derived 332 

Whiskey   insurrection,    account   of 

the 359 

White,   Major,  killed   at   German- 
town 199 

White,  Right  Rer.  William,  D.D...    173 
"  Widow  of  Malabar"  translation  of, 

by  Colonel  Humphreys 399 

Will,  Washington's 439,  458 

Williams,  Otho  Holland,  biographi- 
cal sketch  of. 355 

Williams,  artist  in  crayon,  likeness 

of  Washington  by 523 

Williamsburg,  old  capital  of  Vir- 
ginia     154 

Wood,  William  B.,  in  Walnut-street 
prison .....' 328 

Yorktown,  surrender  at 229,  247 

preparations  for  the  siege  of. 230 

attack  upon,  by  the  allies 240 

efi^ect  of  cannonade  upon  the  do- 
fences  of 240 

constant  exposure  of  Washington 

at  the  siege  of. 242 

patriotism  of  Crovernor  Nelson  at.  243 
headquarters  of  Cornwallis  at.. . .  444 
letter  from   Clinton,  received  by 
Cornwallis,  urging  him  to  hold 

out  to  the  last  extremity 244 

death  of  Colonel  Cochran  at 245 

details  of  the  surrender  at 247 

total  numbers  of  the  army  surren- 
dered at 247 

delivery  of  British  colors  at 249 

Cornwallis,  the  guest  of  Washing- 
ton after  the  surrender  of 249 

how  Lord  North  received  the  news 

of  the  surrender  of '  250 

Colonel  Tarleton  at 251 

small-pox  and  camp-fever  at,  after 

the  surrender 253 

at  the  present  time  an  inconsiderar 
ble  village 380 


THE    END. 


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